THE    SOURCES 


OF 


SPENSER'S 
CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY 


ALICE  ELIZABETH  SAWTELLE,  PH.D.    (YALE) 


SILVER,  BURDETT  AND  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK  .  .  .  BOSTON  .  .  .  CHICAGO 
1896 


COPYBIGHT,  1896, 
BY  SILVER,  BURDETT  AND  COMPANY. 


TTPOGRAPHT  BY  C.  J.  PETERS  <fc  SON,  BOSTON. 
PBESSWORK  BY  BERWICK  &  SMITH. 


TO 

Professor  Wwt  &.  (£oofc. 


333475 


PREFATORY     NOTE. 


Miss  SAWTELLE'S  book  was  undertaken  as  a  doctoral  thesis 
in  the  English  department  of  Yale  University.  It  has  been 
wrought  out  with  singular  care,  and  very  little  has  been  taken  at 
second  hand,  so  that  it  may  fairly  be  depended  upon  as  accurate 
in  scholarship. 

There  ought,  I  should  think,  to  be  a  modest  place  in  col- 
leges and  schools  for  a  work  of  this  nature  ;  certainly  where 
Spenser  is  studied,  and  perhaps  where  attention  is  paid  to  any  of 
the  poetic  Elizabethans.  Spenser's  mythology  is  by  no  means 
peculiar  to  himself,  and  much  of  it  may  be  used  for  the  illustra- 
tion of  poetry  in  its  whole  range  from  the  times  of  great  Eliza- 
beth to  the  present. 

Mr.  Churton  Collins,  as  well  as  Matthew  Arnold,  has  made 
himself  the  spokesman  of  the  doctrine  that  English  literature 
should  be  studied  in  the  light  of  the  ancient  classics;  and  perhaps 
this  opuscule  will  be  accepted  by  those  who  are  of  the  same  mind 
with  these  writers,  as  an  illustration  of  their  theory. 

The  author  has  necessarily  traveled  much  in  the  realms  of 
gold,  while  in  quest  of  the  materials  for  freighting  her  little  craft ; 
and  I  trust  that  her  venture  will  do  something  to  convince  those 
who  have  doubted  whether  scholarship  was  quite  compatible  with 
literary  appreciation,  that  the  two  need  not  perforce  be  disjoined. 

A.  s.  C. 
NEW  HA  VEX,  July,  1896. 


INTRODUCTION. 


To  the  serious  student  no  great  author  is  an  isolated  fact, 
but  rather  the  product  of  numerous  influences,  more  or  less 
direct.  To  see  each  author  in  his  proper  setting,  not  in  relation 
to  his  own  age  only,  but  also  to  "those  divine  men  of  old  time," 
is  the  aim  of  all  worthy  literary  study ;  for  then,  and  then  only, 
can  he  be  fully  understood. 

The  unity  of  the  great  world-literature  cannot  be  too  early 
or  too  often  insisted  upon ;  and  proud  as  we  may  be  of  the  indi- 
vidual traits  in  our  own  English  literature,  it  is,  after  all,  strongly 
marked  by  foreign  influences,  ancient  and  modern.  A  thorough 
study  of  any  one  of  its  departments  but  confirms  this  view :  the 
model  of  Milton's  epic  is  to  be  found  in  Virgil's  ^Eneid,  and  the 
Iliad  and  Odyssey  of  Homer ;  our  lyrics  are  in  many  ways 
but  the  echoes  of  those  sung  many  centuries  ago  by  the  shores 
of  the  ^Egean  Sea ;  and  independent  as  was  the  growth  of  our 
drama  on  its  romantic  side,  it  has  yet  other,  classical  qualities, 
which  find  their  source  in  the  plays  of  Sophocles  and  Euripides. 

After  the  Renaissance,  which  flooded  England  with  originals 
and  translations  of  ancient  masterpieces,  the  classical  note  be- 
came a  dominant  one  in  our  literature,  and  particularly  did  the 
richly  imaginative  mythology  of  Greece  and  Rome  appeal  to  our 
poets. 

No  more  conspicuous  example  of  this  fact  can  be  cited  than 
Edmund  Spenser :  the  gods  and  heroes  of  antiquity  glide  over  his 
pages  as  naturally  as  over  those  of  Homer  and  Pindar,  Virgil  and 
Ovid.  Mingled  with  the  poet's  own  conceptions  is  a  great  mass 
of  classical  mythology ;  and  it  is  the  sources  of  this  which  are 
considered  in  this  volume. 

So  far  as  is  known,  this  is  the  first  attempt  that  has  been 
7 


8      <    .  .  INTRODUCTION. 

made  to  furnish  anything  like  a  full  treatment  of  Spenser's 
classical  mythology,  although  fragmentary  considerations  of  the 
subject  have  appeared  from  time  to  time.  Such  are  those  in  Jor- 
tin's  and  Warton's  Remarks  on  Spenser ;  but  these  essays  —  most 
excellent  and  suggestive  as  far  as  they  go  —  are  confessedly  in- 
complete, for  both  scholars  realized  the  extent  of  the  subject 
touched  upon.  Furthermore,  the  sources  of  Spenser's  mythology 
are  treated  in  the  notes  of  various  editions  of  his  works  —  notably 
those  of  Todd  and  Upton ;  but  here,  too,  the  treatment  does  not 
assume  to  be  more  than  fragmentary,  and  there  is  certainly  little 
attempt  at  grouping  the  various  passages  and  comparing  Spenser 
with  himself. 

An  investigation  conducted  along  these  lines  reveals  some 
interesting  facts  in  regard  to  Spenser's  treatment  of  the  classical 
myths,  most  conspicuous  of  which  is  his  complete  mastery  of 
them.  Never  does  he  give  us  the  impression  that  he  is  subserv- 
ient to  them,  but  always  that  they  are  at  his  bidding  to  help  in 
carrying  out  the  purposes  of  his  poems.  This  sense  of  mastery 
leads  him  occasionally  to  rise  superior  to  the  strict  letter  of  the 
Original,  and,  while  always  preserving  its  spirit,  he  at  times  de- 
liberately perverts  a  myth  in  order  that  it  may  better  accord  with 
his  immediate  purpose  (see  Coronis) ;  or,  again,  he  seizes  upon 
some  hint  from  the  classics,  and  constructs  a  myth  of  his  own, 
\but  so  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  its  antique  models  that  an 
expert  might  find  it  hard  to  detect  the  difference  (see  Asteria) 
Even  when  Spenser  paraphrases  long  extracts  from  the  classics, 
he  embellishes  them  with  beauties  from  his  own  imagination, 
so  that  he  does  not  seem  under  limitations,  even  here  (see 
Arachne). 

Occasionally,  however,  our  poet  nods ;  and,  either  from  care- 
lessness or  ignorance,  makes  mistakes  in  certain  minor  details 
(see  Palici);  but  when  we  contemplate  the  vast  extent  of  his 
borrowings  from  the  classics,  we  can  only  wonder  that  these 
errors  are  not  more  numerous. 

It  is  true  that  Spenser  may  be  studied  upon  many  sides  ;  but 
no  other  view  of  him  could  impress  one  more  deeply  with  the 
thoroughness  of  his  scholarship.  Although  in  certain  minor  de- 
tails he  may  have  been  indebted  to  intermediate  authorities,  like 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

Natalis  Comes  (Noel  Conti)  —  a  popular  mythographer  of  the 
sixteenth  century  —  or  to  other  poets  of  the  Middle  Ages,  yet 
there  is  every  evidence,  from  the  paraphrasing  of  the  Greek  and 
Latin,  and  from  the  vital,  original  spirit  breathing  through  the 
mythological  passages,  that  he  drew  his  inspiration  directly  from 
the  fountain-heads.  The  numerous  classical  authorities  cited  by 
E.  K.  in  support  of  the  Shepheard's  Calender  would  alone  indicate 
this.  Then,  too,  the  catholicity  of  his  knowledge  must  impress 
one.  Although  fascinated  by  Ovid,  and  under  the  spell  of  Virgil, 
he  is  inspired  none  the  less  by  the  Greek  authors,  from  Homer 
and  Hesiod  down  to  Theocritus  and  Bion. 

As  Aubrey  de  Vere  so  aptly  expresses  it,  "  In  one  respect, 
however,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  Renaissance  had  assisted 
Spenser :  it  had  imparted  to  him  an  acquaintance  with  classical, 
and  especially  with  mythological  lore,  such  as  no  mediaeval  writer 
possessed.  His  own  profound  sense  of  beauty  made  him  fully 
appreciate  what  was  thus  presented  to  him ;  and  whereas  medi- 
aeval writers  had  often  dealt  with  antiquity  as  mediaeval  painters 
had  done,  placing  the  head  of  a  saint  on  the  neck  of  a  Hebe  or 
a  Mars,  he  entered  into  the  spirit  in  an  ampler  manner  than  any 
of  his  predecessors,  or  than  any  southern  poet."  (Characteristics 
of  Spenser's  Poetry,  Grosart  Edition  of  Spenser.) 

Occasional  quotations  have  been  made  in  the  pages  following 
from  English  translations  of  the  classics :  from  the  Iliad,  trans- 
lated by  Lang,  Leaf,  and  Myers ;  Butcher  and  Lang's  Odyssey  ; 
the  Homeric  Hymns,  translated  by  Parnell,  Chapman,  Shelley,  Con- 
greve,  and  Hole ;  Cooke's  Hesiod ;  Myers'  Pindar ;  Lawton's  and 
Potter's  Euripides;  Taylor's  Greece  of  Pausanias ;  Fawkes'  Apol- 
lonius  Rhodius ;  Apuleius  (Bohn  Library) ;  Lonsdale  and  Lee's 
JEneid ;  Riley's  Ovid ;  De  Vere's  Horace. 

Acknowledgment  is  due  also  to  Jortin's  and  Warton's  Re- 
marks on  Spenser  and  Upton's  and  Todd's  editions  of  Spenser,  for 
ultimate  help  in  the  case  of  several  difficulties  already  wrestled 
with,  while  it  has  been  a  pleasure  to  discover  their  confirmation 
of  various  particulars  independently  treated. 

The  Globe  Edition  of  the  Complete  Works  of  Edmund 
Spenser  has  been  used  as  the  basis  of  this  investigation ;  and  its 
order  and  numbering  have  been  followed,  except  in  the  case  of 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

Virgil's  Gnat,  the  references  to  -which  are  to  stanzas  rather  than 
to  single  verses. 

The  spelling  of  the  proper  names  in  the  headings  has  been 
normalized  to  correspond  to  the  usual  Latin  forms;  and  only 
when  Spenser's  spelling  is  so  widely  at  variance  with  this  as  to 
cause  possible  confusion,  has  it  been  taken  into  account. 

A.  E.  s. 
YALE  UNIVERSITY,  June,  1896. 


INDEX    OF    ABBREVIATIONS. 


A.  A.    ATS  Amatoria. 

.ffin.    .ffineid. 

Am.    Amoretti. 

Amor.    Amores. 

Anac.    Anacreon. 

Anth.  Lat.    Anthologia  Latina. 

Apoll.    Apollodorus. 

Ap.  Rh.    Apollonius  Rhodius. 

Argonaut.    Argonautica. 

Aristoph.    Aristophanes. 

Ast.    Astrophel. 

Call.    Callimacbus. 

Carm.    Carmina. 

Cic.    Cicero. 

Claud.    Claudian. 

Co.  Cl.    Colin   Clout's  Come    Home 

Again. 
Com.    Commentarius  ex  Cicerone  in 

Somnium  Scipionis. 

Daph.    Daphnaida. 

De  Benef .    De  Beneflciis. 

De  Nat.  Deor.    De  Natura  Deorum. 

De  Fluv.    De  Fluviis. 

Dial.  Deor.    Dialogi  Deorum. 

Dial.  Mort.    Dialogi  Mortuorum. 

Diod.  Sic.    Diodorus  Siculus. 

Eel.    Eclogues. 
Elec.    Electra. 
Ep.    Epithalamion. 
Eurip.    Euripides. 

Fab.  Fables. 
Fast.  Fasti. 
F.  Q.  Faerie  Queene. 

Georg.    Georgics. 
Gigant.    Gigantomachia. 


H.  B.    Hymne  in  Honour  of  Beautie. 
Her.    Heroides. 

H.  H.  B.    Hymne  of  Heavenly  Beau- 
tie. 

Hip.    Hippolytus. 
H.  L.    Hymne  in  Honour  of  Love. 
Horn.  Hymn.    Homeric  Hymn. 
Hor.    Horace. 
Hyg.    Hyginus. 

H.    Iliad. 
Imag.    Imagines. 
Int.    Introduction. 

Lucret.    Lucretius. 
Lye.    Lycophron. 
Lys.    Lysistrata. 

Mart.    Martial. 

Met.    Metamorphoses. 

M.  H.  T.    Mother  Hubberds  Tale. 

TVrin,     Minos. 

Mui.    Muiopotmos. 

Nupt.Pel.etThet.    Nuptials  of  Pe- 
leus  and  Thetis. 

Od.    Odyssey. 
Olymp.    Olympic. 
Orest.    Orestes. 
Orph.    Orpheus. 
Ov.    Ovid. 

Paus.    Pausanias. 

Phsed.    Phsedrus. 

Plat.    Plato. 

Plut.    Plutarch. 

Poet.  Astron.    Poeticon  Astronomi- 

con. 

Pont.  Ep.    Pontic  Epistles. 
Pref.    Preface. 


11 


12 


INDEX   OF  ABBREVIATIONS. 


Pro.    Prothalamion. 
Prol.    Prologue. 
Pyth.    Pythian. 


B.R. 
R.T. 


Ruines  of  Rome. 
Ruines  of  Time. 


Sat.    Saturnalia. 

S.  C.    Shepheards  Calender. 

Schol.    Scholiast. 

Serv.    Servius. 

Silv.    Silvse. 

Soph.    Sophocles. 

Stat.    Statius. 

Strab.    Strabo. 

Sup.    Supplices. 


Theb.    Thebaid. 

Theoc.    Theocritus. 

Theog.    Theogony. 

T.  M.    Teares  of  the  Muses. 

Trist.    Tristia. 

Tzet.    Tzetzes. 

V.  B.    Visions  of  Bellay. 
Ver.    Verses. 
V.  G.    Virgils  Gnat. 
Virg.    Virgil. 

V.  W.  V.     Visions  of  the  "Worlds 
Vanitie. 

W.  and  D.    Works  and  Days. 


THE   SOURCES 

OF 

SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 


ACHERON. -F.  Q.  1.  5.  33. 

One  of  the  rivers  in  the  Lower  World,  mentioned  by  Virgil 
(Mn.  6.  295). 

ACHILLES.  —  P.  Q.  3.  2.  26;  V.  G.  66;  H.  L.  233. 

F,  Q.  3.  2.  25  contains  a  reference  to  the  famous  armor  of 
Achilles,  which,  according  to  //.  18.  468  ff.,  Vulcan  made  for 
Achilles  at  the  request  of  Thetis. 

In  V.  G.  66  the  oft-repeated  story  of  the  triumph  of  Achilles 
(.ZEacides)  over  Hector  is  referred  to.  With  this  compare  II.  22, 
where  a  lengthy  description  of  the  combat  between  the  two  heroes 
is  related.  Spenser  (upon  his  own  authority,  since  the  statement 
does  not  occur  in  the  original  of  Virgil's  Gnat)  says  that  Achilles 
dragged  the  body  of  Hector  three  times  around  Troy.  The  au- 
thority for  this  is  not  found  in  the  Iliad,  which  says  that  Achilles 
bound  the  body  of  Hector  to  his  chariot  and  dragged  him  to  the 
Greek  camp;  but  in  JEn.  1.  483:  "Thrice  round  Ilium's  walls 
had  Achilles  dragged  Hector,  and  now  he  was  selling  his  lifeless 
body  for  gold."  For  the  death  of  Achilles  at  the  hands  of  Paris 
(V.  G.  67),  see//.  22.  359. 

The  power  of  love  over  Achilles  is  mentioned  in  //.  L.  233  :  — 

Achilles  preassing  through  the  Phrygian  glaives. 

This  is  a  reference  to  Achilles'  love  for  Patroclus,  whose  death 
spurred  him  on  to  the  battle  with  the  Trojans,  which  is  described 
in  II.  19.  20,  ff.  The  immediate  source  of  the  allusion  is  shown 
from  the  grouping  to  be  the  Symposium  of  Plato. 

13       " 


14  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

ACONTIUS.  —  F.  Q.  2.  7.  55. 

The  romantic  story  of  the  love  of  Acontius  for  Cydippe  and 
of  the  means  by  which  he  won  her  love  is  here  cited.  As  in 
several  other  myths,  it  was  an  apple  which  played  the  important 
part.  This  fair  youth,  Acontius,  saw  the  beautiful  Cydippe  wor- 
shiping in  the  temple  of  Diana.  He  succumbed  to  her  charms  at 
once,  and  wished  to  make  her  his  wife.  In  order  to  accomplish 
this,  he  threw  an  apple  at  her  feet.  On  it  was  inscribed  the  solemn 
vow,  "  I  swear  by  Diana  to  marry  Acontius."  Cydippe,  receiving 
the  apple,  read  the  words  aloud.  She  threw  the  apple  away,  but 
all  too  late.  Her  vow  had  been  heard  and  registered,  and  after 
various  delays  she  was  wedded  tp  Acontius. 

The  myth  forms  the  groundwork  of  Her.  20,  21,  which  are 
attributed  to  Ovid  ;  it  is  the  subject  also  of  one  of  the  epistles 
of  Aristsenetus. 


—  F.  Q.  4.  11.  50.    See  Nereids. 
ADMETTJS.  —  F.  Q.  3.  11.  39.    See  Apollo. 

ADONIS. 

No  passage  in  the  works  of  Spenser  more  plainly  reveals 
that  teeming  imagination  which  has  given  him  the  name  of  "  the 
poet's  poet,"  than  that  which  describes  the  gardens  of  Adonis 
(F.  Q.  3.  6.  29  ff.).  Underlying  the  poetry  of  it  there  is  also 
a  deep  philosophy,  the  discussion  of  which  does  not  concern  us 
here.  The  myth  upon  which  this  and  other  passages  rest  is  vari- 
ously related  :  — 

Apollodorus  (3.  14.  4)  says  that  Adonis  was  the  son  of  a  cer- 
tain Myrrha,  who  had  neglected  the  worship  of  Venus,  and  had 
been,  in  punishment,  cursed  with  an  unnatural  love  for  her  own 
father.  The  Gods  took  pity  upon  Myrrha,  and  changed  her  into 
a  tree  (comp.  Met.  10.  299  ff.).  When  Myrrha's  child  Adonis 
was  born,  Venus  was  charmed  by  his  beauty,  and  intrusted  him 
to  the  keeping  of  Proserpina  ;  but  Proserpina,  also  captivated  by 
the  boy,  refused  to  give  him  up.  The  case  was  submitted  to 
Jove,  who  decided  that  two-thirds  of  each  year  Adonis  should 
divide  between  Venus  in  this  world  and  Proserpina  in  the  lower 
regions  ;  the  remaining  third  he  should  have  to  himself.  Ado- 
nis, however,  preferred  to  spend  the  time  allotted  to  himself  in 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  15 

the  company  of  Venus.     It  was  some  time  after  this  that  Adonis 
was  killed,  while  hunting,  by  a  wild  boar. 

The  same  story,  with  variations,  is  related  by  other  authors, 
such  as  Hyginus,  Ovid,  Theocritus,  and  Bion.  Ovid  (Met.  10. 
731  ff.)  adds  that,  after  his  death,  Adonis  was  changed  by  Venus 
into  a  flower  ;  and  others  say  that  after  that  event  Venus  enjoyed 
the  society  of  her  beloved  Adonis  for  only  a  half  of  each  year. 
Spenser,  in  imagination,  transferred  the  story  of  the  love  of 
Venus  and  Adonis  to  a  piece  of  tapestry  — 

A  worke  of  rare  device  and  wondrous  wit. 

F.  Q.  3.  1.  34  ff. 

The  unlawful  love  of  Myrrha  is  referred  to  in  F.  Q.  3.  2.  41. 

But  all  this  story  was  originally  something  more  than  a  mere 
poetic  fiction :  there  was  in  it  the  basis  of  the  worship  of  Adonis, 
which  was  brought  from  Syria,  through  Asia  Minor,  into  Greece. 
The  alternating  death  and  revival  of  Adonis  seem  to  typify  the 
decay  and  revival  of  vegetation.  This  idea  was  prominently 
brought  out  in  the  Adonia,  or  annual  festivals  of  Adonis.  We 
learn  from  the  ancients  that  they  lasted  two  days :  the  first  com- 
memorated the  disappearance  of  Adonis ;  the  second,  his  return 
to  life.  On  this  occasion  earthen  vessels,  called  the  "  gardens  of 
Adonis,"  were  placed  as  symbols  before  the  temples  of  Adonis. 
In  them  were  planted  herbs,  which  were  forced  to  quick  growth 
only  to  decay  as  rapidly  (Aristoph.  Lys.  362 ;  Pax,  410 ;  Theoc. 
Adon.).  Thus  the  term  "  garden  of  Adonis  "  became  synonymous 
with  "  hot-box,"  as  in  the  Phcedrus  of  Plato,  where  Socrates  asks 
if  a  wise  man  would  be  likely  to  plant  his  seed  in  a  garden  of 
Adonis,  and  not  rather  in  soil  where  it  would  grow  to  life  in  a 
natural  way.  It  is  on  this  term  that  Spenser  has  seized ;  and  we 
have  the  amplification  of  the  idea  back  of  it  in  the  famous  de- 
scription of  the  Gardens  of  Adonis  —  "  the  first  seminary  Of  all 
things  that  are  borne  to  live  and  dye  According  to  their  kinds  " 
(F.  Q.  3.  6.  21  ff.).  The  idea  which  pervades  the  passage  —  the 
indestructibility  of  life,  which  appears  again  and  again  under 
new  forms  —  is  familiar  to  us  from  the  Pythagorean  doctrine  of 
metempsychosis. 

Moreover,  Pliny  (19.  9)  says  that  the  gardens  of  the  Hesper- 
ides  and  of  Kings  Adonis  and  Alcinous  were  famous  among  the 


16  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

ancients;  and  Homer  (Od.  7.  112  ff.)  describes  that  of  Alcinous 
—  a  description  which  it  is  evident  Spenser  had  in  mind. 

There  are  further  references  to  the   Gardens  of  Adonis  in 
F.  Q.  2.  10.  71  and  Co.  Cl.  804. 


.—  F.  Q.  6.  10.  22.    See  Peleus. 
^EJACIDES      (Ajax  and  Achilles).—  V.  6.66. 

Ajax  and  Achilles  are  each  appropriately  referred  to  under 
this  patronymic,  since  they  were  the  descendants  of  ^Eacus.  In 
this  stanza  and  the  preceding,  where  Ajax  is  called  the  son  of 
Telamon,  the  single  combat  of  Hector  and  Ajax,  and  the  bravery 
of  the  latter  in  defending  the  Greek  ships  against  the  fire  which, 
under  the  instigation  of  Hector,  the  Trojans  were  bringing 
against  them,  are  referred  to.  For  the  first  incident  see  //.  7.  1 
ff.  ;  for  the  second  see  11  15.  718  ff.  -Compare  V.  G.  62. 

With  V.  G.  67,  which  states  that  Ulysses  killed  Ajax,  com- 
pare Hyg.  Fab.  107,  according  to  which,  Ajax  killed  himself 
when  the  arms  of  Achilles  were  awarded  to  Ulysses.  For 
JEacides  as  name  of  Achilles,  see  Achilles. 

JEACUS.  -  V.  6.  61. 

.ZEacus  is  here  mentioned  as  the  father  of  Peleus  and  Tela- 
mon, and  as  the  judge  of  the  Lower  World.  Compare  11.  16.  15  ; 
Met.  13.  25  ff. 


(shield).  —  Mui.  821. 

This  is  the  -3Egis,  or  shield  of  Jove,  which  was  an  attribute 
of  his  daughter  Pallas  also.  It  is  described  in  //.  5.  "738  ff.,  as 
"  the  tasselled  aegis  terrible,  whereon  is  Panic  as  a  crown  all  round 
about;  and  Strife  is  therein  and  Valour  and  horrible  Onslaught 
withal  ;  and  therein  is  the  dreadful  monster's  Gorgon  head,  dread- 
ful and  grim,  portent  of  aegis-bearing  Zeus."  It  is  to  be  noticed 
that,  at  this  point,  Pallas  appropriates  this  shield,  with  the  other 
armor  of  her  father. 

In  JEn.  8.  435  ff.,  the  aegis  is  described  as  "  the  armour 
of  angry  Pallas,  with  serpent-scales  and  gold,  and  the  twine  of 
snakes,  and  on  the  breast  of  the  goddess  the  Gorgon's  self,  with 
eyes  still  rolling  in  her  severed  head."  Compare  F.  Q.  3.  9.  22. 
See  also  Met.  6.  79. 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  17 

.S3GLNA.—  F.  Q.  3.  11.  35. 

When  Spenser  makes  the  statement  that  Jove  won  ^Egina  in 
the  form  of  fire,  he  is  supported  by  Met.  6.  113.  Both  Apollo- 
dorus  (3.  12.  6)  and  Hyginus  (Fab.  52)  mention  the  union  of 
jEgina  5nd  Jove.  Though  neither  speaks  of  the  metamorphosis, 
Apollodorus  says  that  when  Asopus,  the  father  of  JEgina,  at- 
tempted to  pursue  Jove  when  he  was  escaping  with  JDgina,  the 
Thunderer  struck  him  with  lightning. 


.  —  F.  Q.  2.  10.  42. 

jEgeria  is  here  mentioned  as  a  fay  who  taught  Kuma.  With 
this  compare  Ov.  Fast.  3.  263  and  275. 

J3NEAS.—  F.  Q.  3.  9.  40;  H.  L.  232. 

The  first  of  these  passages  is  an  outline  of  the  story  of  the 
JEneid.  The  sacking  of  Troy  ;  the  escape  of  ^Eneas  with  his  band 
of  followers  ;  his  subsequent  wanderings  ;  the  arrival  in  Latium, 
followed  by  wars  ;  the  founding  of  Alba  Longa  by  lulus,  and  that 
of  Rome  by  Romulus,  —  all  these  points  are  touched  upon. 

2EOLUS.-F.  Q.  1.  7.  9;  8.  6.  44  ;  3.  11.  42;  4.  9.  23;  Mui.  420. 

Our  poet,  as  he  wrote  these  passages,  must  have  had  in  mind 
those  lines  from  the  Odyssey  (10.  1  ff.)  where  ^olus  is  described 
as  the  heaven-appointed  lord  of  the  winds,  or  that  more  familiar 
passage  in  the  JEneid  (1.  52  ff.)  in  which  the  winds  are  de- 
scribed as  shut  up  in  caves  and  restrained  by  the  weight  of 
mountains.  They  chafe  under  their  confinement  ;  but  only  at  the 
bidding-  of  .<Eolus,  their  ruler,  may  they  go  forth  over  land  and 
sea. 

In  keeping  with  these  accounts  is  the  "  blustring  .ZEolus  "  of 
the  first  passage  from  Spenser,  and  the  "  sharp  blast  "  of  .(Eolus 
mentioned  in  the  second,  as  is  also  the  "  gate  "  of  ^Eolus  in  Mui. 
420. 

In  making  JEolus  the  father  of  Arne  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  42  ;  4.  9. 
23),  Spenser  follows  Met.  6.  115  and  Diod.  Sic.  4.  67.  The 
picture  of  ./Eolus  as  an  irate  father,  raving  over  the  elopement 
of  his  daughter,  is,  in  the  fact  of  the  rage,  quite  in  keeping  with 
life  itself,  while  the  manner  in  which  the  rage  is  exhibited  is 
consistent  with  classical  mythology. 


18  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

-AESCULAPIUS.—  F.   Q.   1.   5.   86;    1.  5.  39;    1.   6.  41.      See  Apollo  and 
Hippolytus. 

JESON.— B.  B.  10.    See  Argonautic  Expedition. 
AGAMEMNON.  —  T.  G.  69. 

Since  Agamemnon  was  the  chief  commander  of  the  Greek 
forces  in  the  Trojan  War,  even  though  not  their  hero,  he  is  appro- 
priately referred  to  here.  'See  Iliad,  passim. 

For  his  relation  to  Tantalus,  see  Tantalus. 

AGAVE.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 

AGAVE — V.  G.  22.    See  Bacchus. 

AGENOR.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  15.    See  Founders  of  Nations. 

AGLAIA.  — F.  Q.  6.  10.  22.    See  Graces. 

ALBION.  — F.  Q.  2.  10.  11;  4.  11.  16.    See  Founders  of  Nations. 

ALCESTIS.  — T.  G.  64. 

Compare  Eurip.  Alcestis,  where  the  incident  here  referred  to 
is  enlarged  upon. 

ALCZDES.  —  F.  Q.  1.  7.   17;    2.  5.  31;    3.   12.   7;    4.  1.  23  ;  6.  8.  31;    6. 
12.  32;  Mui.  71.    See  Hercules. 

ALCMENA.— F.  Q.  3.  11.  33;  B.  T.  380;  M.  H.  T.  1299;  Ep.  328. 

Spenser  follows  Met.  6. 112  when  he  mentions  the  affair  with 
Alcmena  among  the  amours  of  Jove ;  but  when  he  says  that  Jove 
put  three  nights  in  one  for  her  sake,  he  differs  from  Ovid,  who 
says  it  was  two  nights  (Amor.  1.  13.  45).  Hyginus,  also,  says  two 
nights  (Fab.  29).  Orpheus,  on  the  other  hand,  says  that  on  the 
occasion  of  this  amour  the  sun  did  not  shine  for  three  days  (Ar- 
gonaut. 118).  Apollodorus  (2.  3.  8)  also  says  the  same.  Spenser, 
then,  may  have  been  indebted  to  one  of  these  for  his  statement, 
or  to  Lucian  (Dial.  Deor.  10). 

Spenser  further  states  that  Mercury,  with  his  caduceus, 
brought  about  this  lengthened  night.  See  Mercury. 

ALEBIUS.—  F.  Q.  4.  11.  14.  See  Sea-Gods. 
ALIMEDA.— F.  Q.  4.  11.  51.  See  Nereids. 
AMAZON.  — F.  Q.  2.  3.  31. 

This  is  a  reference  to  the  queen  of  the  Amazons,  Penthesilea, 
who  came  to  the  assistance  of  Priam  in  the  Trojan  War. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  19 

In  JEn.  1.  491  if.,  we  have  a  graphic  picture  of  Penthesilea 
at  the  head  of  her  troops  of  Amazons.  Servius,  commenting 
upon  this  passage,  says  that  she  was  killed  by  Achilles,  and  this 
was  the  commonly  accepted  account  of  her  death.  Spenser, 
however,  says  she  was  slain  by  Pyrrhus,  thus  following  Dares 
Phrygius,  36. 

In  the  numerous  passages  of  the  fifth  book  of  the  Faerie 
Queene  where  the  name  "  Amazon  "  occurs,  it  is  freely  used  to 
designate  a  character  of  the  poem  whose  warlike  nature  and 
deeds  are  patterned  after  the  classical  conception  of  the  warlike 
Amazons. 

F.  Q.  4,  11.  21  derives  the  name  of  the  River  Amazon  from 
a  race  of  maiden  warriors  who  possess  it.  This  is  in  keeping 
with  the  story  that  the  discoverer  of  that  river  named  it  Amazon 
because  he  saw  some  armed  women  on  its  banks. 

AMMON.  — F.  Q.  1.  6.  48.    See  Jove. 
AMPHION. -B.  B.  25. 

Amphion's  instrument,  here  mentioned,  is  the  golden  shell 
whose  music  raised  the  walls  of  Thebes.  See  Apoll.  3.  5.  5,  also 
Ap.  Rh.  1.  740:  — 

Behind,  Amphion  tuned  his  golden  shell, 
Amphion,  deem'd  in  music  to  excel: 
Rocks  still  pursued  him  as  he  moved  along, 
Charm'd  by  the  music  of  his  magic  song. 

AMPHTTRITE. 

Fair  Amphitrite,  most  divinely  faire, 
Whose  yvorie  shoulders  weren  covered  all 
As  with  a  robe,  with  her  owne  silver  haire, 
And  deckt  with  pearles  which  th'  Indian  seas  for  her  prepaire. 

F.  Q.  4. 11. 11. 

In  Theog.  930  she  is  mentioned  as  the  wife  of  Neptune,  and 
in  the  Horn.  Hymn  to  Apollo  (Deliari)  she  is  enumerated  among 
the  supreme  goddesses  of  heaven  who  were  present  at  the  birth 
of  Apollo. 

In  F.  Q.  4.  11.  49  she  appears  simply  as  one  of  the  Nereids. 
See  Nereids. 

She  was  a  favorite  subject  with  ancient  artists,  who  delighted 
to  linger  over  her  beauties,  as  our  poet  does  in  the  lines  above 
quoted. 


20  SPENSKR'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

AMPHITRYONIDES — F.  Q.  7.  7.  36.    See  Hercules. 
ANCHISES.—  F.  Q.  3.  9.  41.    See  Venus. 
ANDROMEDA.  — B.  T.  649. 

The  peril  from  which  Perseus  freed  Andromeda  forms  the 
subject  of  one  of  the  favorite  myths  of  antiquity.  Apollodorus 
(2.  3.  3)  relates  that  Cassiopea,  the  mother  of  Andromeda,  boasted 
that  her  beauty  surpassed  that  of  the  Nereids.  In  return  for  this 
presumption,  Neptune  caused  the  land  to  be  flooded,  and  sent  a 
sea-monster  which  terrified  the  people.  According  to  an  oracle, 
there  was  no  escape  from  these  calamities  unless  Andromeda 
should  be  exposed  to  the  monster.  Her  father,  Cepheus,  was 
obliged  to  conform  to  the  demands  of  his  people ;  and,  accord- 
ingly, Andromeda  was  chained  to  a  rock.  It  is  at  this  point  that 
Perseus  came  to  her  release. 

This  story  is  related  by  Ovid  (Met.  4.  663  ff.)  and  by  Hy- 
ginus  (Fab.  64).  It  is  worth  noting  that  Hyginus  says  that  it 
was  the  beauty  of  Andromeda  of  which  her  mother  boasted. 
This  would  make  the  punishment  of  the  innocent  girl  somewhat 
more  reasonable. 

For  the  statement  that  Perseus,  when  he  freed  Andromeda, 
was  mounted  on  the  winged  steed  Pegasus,  there  is  no  classical 
authority.  Since,  however,  he  was  equipped  with  wings  on  this 
occasion,  and  released  Andromeda  just  after  killing  Medusa,  the 
confusion  is  quite  explicable. 

ANTIOPE.  — F.  Q.  3.  11.  35. 

In  Satyres  shape  Antiopa  he  snatcht. 

Compare  this  statement  with  Met.  6.  110 ;  also  with  Apoll.  3.  5.  5. 
AON.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  15.    See  Founders  of  Nations. 
APOUOO. 

There  is  a  reference  to  the  parentage  of  Apollo  in  V.  G.  2. 
He  is  there  spoken  of  as  — 

The  golden  offspring  of  Latona  pure, 
And  ornament  of  Jove's  great  progenie. 

F.  Q.  6.  2.  25  also  refers  to  him  as  the  son  of  Latona.  Such  was 
the  commonly  accepted  belief  among  the  ancients,  in  support  of 
which  may  be  cited  Theog.  918. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  21 

The  well-known  story  which  relates  the  anger  of  Juno  and 
the  escape  of  Latona  to  the  Isle  of  Delos,  where  she  gave  birth  to 
Apollo  and  his  twin  sister  Artemis,  is  outlined  in  F.  Q.  2.  12.  13. 
This  may  be  founded  upon  the  Horn.  Hymn  to  Apollo  (Delian),  or 
upon  later  versions  of  the  same  story,  such  as  Apoll.  1.  4.  1  and 
Hyg.  Fab.  140. 

Apollo  is  mentioned  as  the  father  of  various  children :  of 
^Eseulapius  (F.  Q.  1.  5.  43)  ;  of  Phaeton  (F.  Q.  1.  4.  9  ;  T.  M.  7)  ; 
of  Pason,  by  Liagore  (F.  Q.  3.  4.  41) ;  of  the  Muses,  by  Memory 
(F.  Q.  1.  11.  5;  3.  3.  4);  of  the  Muses  without  reference  to 
Memory  (T.  M.  2;  Ep.  121). 

Many  ancient  writers  agree  in  making  Apollo  the  father  of 
vEsculapius  by  Coronis,  as,  for  instance,  Pindar  (Pyth.  3) ;  Eurip- 
ides (Alcestis,  Prol.) ;  Hyginus  (Fab.  202)  ;  Ovid  (Met.  2.  9). 

There  does  not  seem  to  be  the  same  agreement  among  the 
ancients  in  regard  to  Apollo's  relation  to  Phaeton ;  but,  in  mak- 
ing him  his  father,  Spenser  is  amply  supported  by  such  writers  as 
Ovid  (Met.  2.  1  ff.)  and  Hyginus  (Fab.  152). 

In  Spenser's  reference  to  Apollo  as  the  father  of  Paeon  by 
Liagore,  we  have  an  instance  of  the  liberty  which  Spenser  some- 
times takes  with  classical  mythology.  The  passage  in  question  is 
as  follows :  — 

This  Liagore  whilome  had  learned  skill 
In  leaches  craft,  by  great  Apolloes  lore, 
Sith  her  whilorne  upon  high  Pindus  hill 
He  loved,  and  at  last  her  wombe  did  fill 
With  hevenly  seed,  whereof  wise  Paeon  sprong. 

F.  Q.  3.  4. 41. 

Now,  Liagore  is  nowhere  mentioned  by  ancient  writers,  ex- 
cept by  Hesiod  in  the  Theogony,  where  she  is  cited  as  one  of  the 
Nereids;  and  Spenser  also  mentions  her  in  his  list  (F.  Q.  4.  11. 
51).  It  is  evident  that  our  poet  is  thinking  of  (Enone,  the  wife 
of  Paris,  whom  Apollo  loved,  and  to  whom  he  taught  the  art  of 
healing  (see  Her.  5.  139).  It  is  a  question  whether  Spenser 
here  regarded  Paeon  as  a  son  distinct  from  JEsculapius,  or 
whether  he  used  the  name  for  .ZEsculapius.  Homer  speaks  of 
Paeon  as  physician  of  the  gods  (77.  5.  401,  899)  and  as  distinct 
from  JEsculapius,  but  does  not  refer  to  him  as  the  son  of  Apollo. 


22  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY. 

With  many  of  the  ancients,  Pason  is  simply  a  surname  for  ,32s- 
culapius  or  Apollo,  indicating  possession  of  the  power  to  heal ; 
but,  as  said  before,  they,  for  the  most  part,  agree  in  making 
.ZEsculapius  the  son  of  Apollo  by  Coronis.  Thus  it  is  clear  that, 
whichever  view  Spenser  has  in  mind,  he  deviates  from  classical 
mythology. 

For  Apollo's  relation  to  the  Muses  see  Muses. 

For  Apollo's  relation  to  the  water  divinities  (F.  Q.  4.  11.  52) 
see  Nereids. 

Apollo's  love  for  various  women  is  mentioned :  for  Climene 
(F.  Q.  3.  11.  38);  for  Coronis  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  37);  for  Daphne 
(F.  Q.  2.  12.  52 ;  3.  11.  30) ;  for  Issa  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  39).  His  affec- 
tion for  Hyacinthus  also  is  cited  in  F.  Q.  3.  11.  37.  For  all  these 
see  the  several  headings. 

In  F.  Q.  3.  11.  39,  after  mentioning  the  above  names  of  those 
who  won  the  love  of  Phoebus,  Spenser  makes  a  general  statement 
in  regard  to  the  transformations  of  Phoebus  into  a  lion,  a  stag, 
and  a  falcon.  This,  with  a  slight  difference,  is  copied  from  Met. 
6.  122  ff. :  "  There  was  Phoebus,  under  the  form  of  a  rustic ;  and 
how,  besides,  he  was  wearing  the  wings  of  a  hawk  at  one  time, 
at  another  the  skin  of  a  lion." 

Phoebus  was  primarily  the  god  of  the  sun.  Homer  and  other 
of  the  early  Greek  writers  represent  Phoebus  and  Helios  as  per- 
fectly distinct,  but  in  later  times  the  two  became  identical.  That 
Phoebus  was  the  god  of  the  sun  —  the  giver  of  light  and  warmth 
and  life  to  the  earth  —  accounts  for  his  numerous  other  attributes. 
He  figures  as  the  god  of  intellectual  light,  delighting  in  poetry 
and  art,  and  in  the  foundation  of  cities  and  civil  institutions ;  as 
the  protector  of  flocks ;  as  the  god  of  prophecy,  bringing  hidden 
things  to  light ;  as  the  god  of  the  healing  art ;  and,  again,  as  the 
hurler  of  death-dealing  darts. 

Again  and  again  throughout  his  poems  Spenser  refers  to 
Phoebus  as  the  god  of  the  sun.  Sometimes  he  uses  the  name  for 
the  sun  itself ;  sometimes  he  speaks  of  the  "  lamp "  of  Phoebus, 
or  the  "  car  "  of  Phoebus ;  and  again,  of  his  "  golden  face  "  or 
«  golden  head."  See  F.  Q.  1.  Int.  4  ;  1.  1.  23 ;  1.2.1;  1.  2.  29 ; 
1.  5.  2 ;  1.  5.  20  ;  1.  5.  44  ;  1.  6.  6  ;  1.  7.  29  ;  1.  7.  34  ;  1.  11.  31 ; 
1.  12.  2 ;  2.  8.  5 ;  2.  9.  10 ;  3.  2.  24  ;  3.  5.  27  ;  3.  6.  44 ;  3.  10.  1 ; 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  23 

3.  10.  45;  5.  3.  19;  5.  11.  62;  6.  3.  29;  7.  6.  39;  7.  7.  51;  S.  C. 
Jan.  73 ;  Apr.  73  ;  Aug.  83  ;  Oct.  3  ;  Nov.  14 ;  V.  G.  21 ;  78  ;  F. 
W.  F.  2  ;  Ep.  77. 

As  god  of  poets,  Apollo  appears  at  the  wedding  of  Peleus 
and  Thetis,  singing  the  marriage  hymn  to  the  delight  of  the 
other  gods  (F.  Q.  7.  7.  12).  In  mentioning  this  Spenser  says, 
"  They  say."  The  « they  "  may  be  Homer  (II.  24.  62).  There 
Juno  says  to  Apollo  :  - — 

.  .  .  and  thou  among  them  wert  feasting  with  thy  lyre. 

Again  this  god  of  song  essays  a  mightier  theme  —  the  tri- 
umphs of  Phlegrsean  Jove  (F.  Q.  2.  10.  3).  Statius  (Theb.  6. 
336)  pictures  Apollo  upon  the  heights  of  heaven,  charming  the 
Muses  with  his  song,  the  oft-repeated  theme  of  which  is  Jove  and 
Phlegra. 

T.  M.  330  likewise  refers  to  Apollo's  famous  "  quill." 

The  musical  contest  between  Apollo  and  Pan  is  cited  in 
S.  C.  June  68.  Ovid  (Met.  11.  146  ff.)  relates  the  familiar 
story  of  the  boastful  challenge  to  Apollo  on  the  part  of  Pan,  and 
the  rash  preference  of  Midas  for  the  rustic  music  of  the  latter. 
Such  stupidity  called  down  the  anger  of  Apollo,  and  Midas  bore 
henceforth  the  ears  of  the  ass. 

Apollo  is  not  only  the  author  of  song,  but  the  inspirer  of  it 
as  well  (F.  G.  2,  7).  From  Homeric  times  down  the  bard  was 
supposed  to  derive  his  inspiration  from  the  Muses  or  from  their 
leader,  Apollo.  Certain  haunts  of  Apollo  are  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  the  first  of  these  references  :  Xanthus,  the  woods  of 
Astery,  Mt.  Parnassus,  Castalia,  and  the  Pierian  streams.  The 
last  three  are  especially  distinguished  as  the  haunts  of  the  Muses, 
and,  therefore,  of  Apollo.  Horace  (Carm.  4.  6.)  bids  Phoebus  — 

Leave  Lycian  Xanthus  who  caresses 
"With  his  soft  wave  thy  golden  tresses. 

Asteria  was,  according  to  Apoll.  1.  4.  1,  the  original  name  of 
Delos,  the  birthplace  of  Apollo. 

"VVe  have  in  this  reference  a  hint  of  another  one  of  Apollo's 
offices  :  Pales,  the  Roman  god  of  shepherds,  is  called  upon  to 
attend  Apollo.  The  belief  that  Apollo  watched  over  flocks  and 


24  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

cattle  is  a  very  early  one.  Homer  (//.  2.  766)  says  that  Apollo 
fed  the  steeds  of  Eumelus  in  Pieria.  It  will  be  remembered  also 
that  it  was  the  oxen  of  Apollo  that  the  infant  Mercury  stole 
(Horn.  Hymn  to  Hermes).  But  this  idea  is  most  familiarly  embod- 
ied in  the  story  of  Apollo's  caring  for  the  flocks  of  Admetus,  re- 
ferred to  by  Spenser  in  F.  Q.  3.  11.  39.  According  to  Apoll.  3. 
10.  4,  Apollo  was  condemned  to  this  service  because  he  had  killed 
the  Cyclops,  on  account  of  their  having  furnished  the  thunder- 
bolts with  which  Zeus  destroyed  JEsculapius.  Euripides  thus 
makes  Apollo  himself  explain  his  position :  — 

Home  of  Admetos,  wherein  I  have  borne 

To  accept  a  menial's  fare,  although  a  god! 

Zeus  was  the  cause,  who  slew  Asclepios, 

My  son,  with  lightnings  hurled  against  his  breast. 

Thereat  of  course  enraged,  I  slew  the  Cyclops 

Who  forged  the  holy  flame;  for  this  my  sire 

In  penance  made  me  serve  a  mortal  man. 

Alcestis,  Prol. 

F.  Q.  2.  9.  48  contains  a  reference  to  Apollo  as  the  god  of 
prophecy,  whose  utterances  were  accepted  as  final :  — 

Not  he,  whom  Greece,  the  Nourse  of  all  good  arts, 
By  PhcBbus  doome  the  wisest  thought  alive, 
Might  be  compar'd  to  these  by  many  parts. 

This  surpassingly  wise  man  is  Socrates.  In  Plato's  Apologia  we 
read  that  Chaerepho,  an  intimate  associate  of  Socrates,  went  to 
the  oracle  at  Delphi,  and  asked  if  there  was  any  one  more  wise 
than  Socrates ;  and  the  Pythian  priestess  replied  that  there  was 
not. 

There  are  several  references  to  Apollo  as  physician  (F.  Q.  3. 
4.  41 ;  4.  6.  1  ;  4.  12.  25).  For  this  conception  there  is  ample 
authority  in  classical  mythology.  As  god  of  the  sun,  who  sees 
all  things,  and  as  the  god  of  prophecy,  Apollo  was  looked  upon  as 
the  divinity  who  averted  evil.  From  this  conception  it  was  but  a 
step  to  that  of  Apollo  as  physician,  already  alluded  to  in  connec- 
tion with  Liagore  above  ;  and  as  such  he  was  regarded  as  the 
father  of  ^Esculapius,  and  as  identical  with  Paeon. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  25 

But  Apollo  is  not  only  the  averter  of  evil,  but  also  the  god 
who  punished  evil-doers.  As  such  lie  is  possessed  of  deadly  and 
unerring  arrows.  Spenser  but  follows  Homer  (//.  1.  44  ff.)  and 
numerous  others  among  the  ancients  when  he  says :  — 

But  such  as  could  both  Phoebus  arrowes  ward 
And  th'  hayling  darts  of  heaven  beating  hard. 

Alui.  79  ff. 

In  F.  Q.  3.  6.  2  these  "  hayling  darts  "  are  viewed  as  "  faire 
beams,"  and  with  them  Phrebus  adorned  Venus,  when,  upon  pro- 
ceeding to  Olympus,  she  delighted  him  and  the  other  gods  with 
her  beauty  (see  Horn.  Minor  Hymn  to  Aphrodite). 

In  V.  G.  84  we  read  that  the  laurel  is  "the  ornament  of 
Phoebus  toil."  How  this  tree  came  to  be  sacred  to  Apollo  is  re- 
lated by  Ovid  (Met.  1.  12). 

The  fierce  Spumador,  borne  of  heavenly  seed 
Such  as  Laomedon  of  Phoebus  race  did  breed. 

F.  Q.  2.  11.  19. 

This  seems  to  be  a  somewhat  tangled  allusion  to  the  myth  that 
Apollo  reared  the  horses  of  Eumelus  Pheretiades  in  Pieria  (//.  1. 
766)  and  to  the  story  of  his  watching  the  cattle  of  Laomedon  on 
Mt.  Ida  (II.  21.  488). 

In  F.  Q.  7.  6.  35  Spenser  represents  Apollo  as  the  scribe  of 
the  gods,  though  upon  what  authority  we  cannot  say. 

ARACHNE. —  F.  Q.  2.  7.  28;  2.  12.  77;  Mui.  261,  etc. 

The  lengthy  passage  in  Muiopotmos  which  relates  the  contest 
between  Minerva  and  Arachne  is  evidently  a  translation  of 'the 
same  story  as  given  by  Ovid,  Met.  6.  70  ff.,  as  the  following 
comparison  will  show  :  — 

Arachne  figur'd  how  Jove  did  abuse    • 

Europa  like  a  Bull,  and  on  his  backe 

Her  through  the  sea  did  beare;  so  lively  seene, 

That  it  true  Sea,  and  true  Bull,  ye  would  weene. 

SPENSEK. 

Maeonis  elusam  designat  imagine  tauri 
Europain:  verum  taurum,  freta  vera  putares. 

OVID. 


26  SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

She  seem'd  still  backe  unto  the  land  to  looke, 
And  her  play-fellowes  aide  to  call,  and  feare 
The  dashing  of  the  waves,  that  up  she  tooke 
Her  daintie  feete,  and  garments  gathered  neare. 

SPENSER. 

Ipsa  videbatur  terras  spectare  relictas 
Et  comites  clamare  suas,  tactumque  vereri 
Assilientis  aquae  timidasque  reducere  plantas. 

OVID. 

Instead  of  giving  the  list  of  the  loves  of  Jupiter,  Neptune, 
Phoebus,  Liber,  and  Saturn  as  enumerated  at  this  point  by  Ovid 
(a  passage  of  which  Spenser  makes  use  in  another  connection), 
Spenser  says :  — 

Before  the  Bull  she  pictur'd  winged  Love,  etc. 

And  round  about  her  worke  she  did  empale 
With  a  faire  border  wrought  of  sundrie  flowres, 
Enwoven  with  an  Yvie-winding  trayle. 

SPENSER. 

Ultima  pars  telae  tenui  circumdata  limbo 
Nexilibus  flores  hederis  habet  iutertextos. 

OVID. 

A  goodly  worke,  full  fit  for  kingly  bowres; 
Such  as  Dame  Pallas,  such  as  Envie  pale, 
That  al  good  things  with  venemous  tooth  devowres, 

Could  not  accuse. 

SPENSER. 

Non  illud  Pallas,  non  illud  carpere  Livor 
Possit  opus. 

OVID. 

She  made  the  storie  of  the  olde  debate 
"Which  she  with  Neptune  did  for  Athens  trie. 

SPENSER. 

Cecropia  Pallas  scopulum  Mavortis  in  arce 
Pingit  et  antiquam  de  terras  nomine  litem. 

OVID. 

Twelve  gods  doo  sit  around  in  royall  state, 

And  Jove  in  midst  with  awfull  Majestie, 

To  judge  the  strife  betweene  them  stirred  late. 

SPENSER. 
Bis  sex  caelestes  medio  Jove  sedibus  altis 

Augusta  gravitate  sedent. 

OVID. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  27 

Each  of  the  Gods,  by  his  like  visnomie 
Eathe  to  be  knowen;  but  Jove  above  them  all, 
By  his  great  lookes  and  power  Imperiall. 

SPENSER. 

.  .  .  sua  quemque  deorum 
Inscribit  facies.    Jovis  est  regalis  imago. 

OVID. 

Before  them  stands  the  God  of  Seas  in  place, 
Clayming  that  sea-coast  Citie  as  his  right. 
And  strikes  the  rockes  with  his  three-forked  mace; 
Whenceforth  issues  a  warlike  steed  in  sight, 
The  sigiie  by  which  he  chalengeth  the  place. 

SPENSEB. 

Stare  deum  pelagi  longoque  ferire  tridente 
Aspera  saxa  facit,  medioque  e  vulnere  saxi 
Exiluisse  ferum ;  quo  pignore  vindicet  urbem. 

OVID. 

Then  to  her  selfe  she  gives  her  ^Egide  shield, 

And  steelhed  speare,  and  morion  on  her  hedd, 

Such  as  she  oft  is  seene  in  warlicke  field ; 

Then  sets  she  forth,  how  with  her  weapon  dredd 

She  smote  the  ground,  the  which  streight  foorth  did  yield 

A  fruitfull  Olyve  tree,  -with  berries  spredd, 

That  all  the  Gods  admir'd:  then,  all  the  storie 

She  compast  with  a  wreathe  of  Olyves  hoarie. 

SPENSEB. 

At  sibi  dat  clipeum,  dat  acutse  cuspidis  hastam, 
Dat  galeam  capiti;  defenditur  aegide  pectus: 
Percussamque  sua  simulat  de  cuspide  terram 
Edere  cum  bacis  fetuin  canentis  olivae ; 
Mirarique  deos: 

Circuit  extremas  oleis  pacalibus  oras. 

OVID. 

The  dots  of  omission  in  this  last  quotation  indicate  the  pas- 
sage portraying  the  punishments  of  those  who,  like  Arachne,  had 
assumed  a  presumptuous  attitude  toward  some  divinity  —  a  pas- 
sage which  Spenser  omits,  and  in  place  of  which,  for  the  purposes 
of  his  poem,  he  describes  a  butterfly  among  the  olives. 

It  should  be  noted  also  that  Spenser  inverts  the  two  parts 
of  the  story  as  given  by  Ovid,  placing  the  description  of  Arachne's 
work  first. 


28  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY. 

AKGONAUTIC  EXPEDITION. 

The  references  which  bear  upon  this  general  subject  are  as 
follows :  To  the  Argo  itself  and  the  flower  of  Greece,  which  it 
bore  ;  to  the  famous  history  of  Jason  and  Medea,  including  her 
charms,  her  love  for  Jason,  his  conquest  of  the  fleece,  and  his 
breach  of  faith  (F.  Q.  2.  12.  44).  To  the  pine  as  ornament  of 
the  Argo  (V.  G.  27).  To  the  quarrel  among  the  Argonauts 
(f.  Q.  4.  1.  23).  To  Hypsipyle  (F.  Q.  2.  10.  56).  To  the  mishap 
of  Hylas  and  the  grief  of  Hercules  over  his  loss  (F.  Q.  3.  12.  7). 
To  Jason's  sowing  the  dragon's  teeth  (R.  R.  10).  To  the  bones 
of  her  brother  scattered  by  Medea  upon  the  Colchic  strand  (F.  Q. 
5.  8.  47).  To  the  murder  of  Creusa  by  Medea  (F.  Q.  2.  12.  45). 

There  are  a  number  of  more  or  less  detailed  accounts  of  the 
Argonautic  Expedition  among  the  ancient  classics.  Such  are 
those  of  Pindar  (Pyth.  4);  of  Orpheus  (Argonaut.);  of  Apollo- 
dorus  (1.  9)  ;  of  Apollonius  Rhodius  (Argonaut.)  ;  and  of  Ovid 
(Met.  7.  1  ff,  and  Trist.  3.  9). 

Pindar's  treatment  of  the  subject  is  too  general  to  have  fur- 
nished Spenser  with  the  points  above  mentioned. 

Orpheus  gives  the  list  of  heroes  who  went  on  the  Argo ;  he 
further  describes  the  "  mighty  charms  "  by  which  the  fleece  was 
at  last  won,  and  the  love  of  Medea  for  Jason.  He  mentions, 
besides,  the  adventure  of  the  Argonauts  on  the  isle  of  Lemnos, 
where  they  charmed  the  Amazons,  who  inhabited  it,  —  among 
them  their  queen,  Hypsipyle  ;  also  the  loss  of  Hylas,  who  was 
stolen  by  a  water-nymph.  Orpheus  further  relates  the  crime  of 
Medea  in  killing  her  brother  Absyrtus :  he  says  that  he  was 
thrown  down  the  banks  of  a  river  and  borne  on  its  current  to 
the  sea,  and  the  islands  where  the  bones  were  afterwards  washed 
up  were  named  for  him  —  A  bsyrtides. 

Apollodorus  furnishes  all  the  details  mentioned  by  Spenser 
except  the  quarrel.  He  says  that  Medea  killed  her  brother,  and 
tore  him  limb  from  limb ;  that  her  father  collected  his  bones,  and 
buried  them  at  a  place  afterwards  called  Tomi  in  memory  of  the 
deed. 

Apollonius  Rhodius  has  left  us  a  story  of  the  Argonautic 
Expedition,  extending  through  four  books.  In  the  first  book  we 
have  a  list  of  the  heroes,  whom  Spenser  designates  as  "  the  flowr 


SPENSER1  S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  29 

of  Greece."  There  is  an  account,  too,  of  the  quarrel  between 
the  chiefs,  which  occurred  before  the  Argo  sailed,  and  was  ended 
by  the  intervention  of  Orpheus.  Hypsipyle  and  Hylas  both  are 
mentioned.  In  the  third  book  Medea's  charms  are  dwelt  upon, 
and  "  her  furious  loving  fit."  The  fourth  book  is  concerned  with 
the  conquest  of  the  fleece,  and  the  adventures  o'f  the  Argonauts 
on  their  return  voyage  to  Greece. 

There  are  scattered  references  to  the  pine  of  which  the  Argo 
was  built,  with  which  may  be  compared  V.  G.  27,  where  it  is 
called  the  ornament  of  the  Argo.  The  subsequent  fickleness  of 
Jason  is  not  referred  to.  In  regard  to  the  murder  of  Medea's 
brother,  Apollonius  Rhodius  says  it  took  place  upon  one  of  the 
Brugi,  and  at  the  hands  of  Jason,  Medea  being  an  accomplice  in 
the  deed.  There  is,  however,  no  mention  of  the  scattering  of 
the  bones. 

Ovid  (Trist.  3.  9)  speaks  of  the  Argo  as  the  first  ship  to 
speed  through  waves  before  untried.  He  then  goes  on  to  de- 
scribe the  killing  of  Absyrtus  by  Medea.  He  says  she  scattered 
her  brother's  bones  about  the  fields.  The  place  of  the  murder 
was  Tomi. 

In  Met.  7.  1  ff.,  the  story  of  the  Argonauts  is  taken  up  at 
the  point  of  the  arrival  in  Colchis ;  the  references,  then,  which 
Spenser  makes  to  occurrences  before  that  event  are  omitted. 
From  the  arrival  to  the  murder  of  her  sons  by  Medea,  Ovid 
gives  a  detailed  account  of  "  the  famous  history." 

It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  from  no  one  of  these  accounts 
could  Spenser  have  drawn,  but  rather  from  an  amalgamation  of 
several  different  ones. 

Numerous  single  passages  might  be  quoted  to  prove  that 
Jason  was  the  son  of  JEson,  as  stated  in  R.  R.  10. 

Yt  seemd  thenchaunted  flame  which  did  Creusa  wed. 

F.  Q.  2.  12.  45. 

Creusa  (or  Glauce)  was  the  woman  for  whom  Jason  aban- 
doned Medea.  This  particular  reference  is  explained  in  the  light 
of  Apollodorus  1.  9.  28:  Medea  avenged  herself  by  sending 
Creusa  a  robe  permeated  with  poison  of  a  combustible  nature. 
When  Creusa  put  the  garment  on  she  perished  in  flames. 


30  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

ARGUS. 

Spenser's  allusions  to  Argus  are  very  slight.  They  may  be 
classed  under  two  heads  :  those  which  pertain  to  his  numerous 
eyes,  as  F.  Q.  3.  9.  7  ;  S.  C.  Jul.  154 ;  Sept.  203 ;  and  those  which 
refer  to  the  myth  that  those  eyes  were  placed  in  the  tail  of  the 
peacock,  as  F.  Q.  I.  4.  17  and  S.  C.  Oct.  32. 

Apollodorus  (2.  1.  2)  says  that  the  surname  of  Argus  was 
Panoptes,  and  that  he  had  eyes  in  his  whole  body.  He  relates, 
further,  that  he  was  chosen  by  Juno  to  guard  lo,  whom  Jupiter 
had  transformed  into  a  cow ;  but,  though  he  mentions  the  fact 
that  Argus  was  killed  by  Mercury,  he  does  not  say  that  Juno 
placed  his  numerous  eyes  in  the  tail  of  her  own  bird.  In  Ovid, 
however  (Met.  1.  601  ff.),  we  have  this  myth  in  greater  detail. 
We  read  that  "  Argus  had  his  head  encircled  with  a  hundred 
eyes,"  and  that  later  "  the  daughter  of  Saturn  takes  them  and 
places  them  on  the  feathers  of  her  own  bird,  and  she  fills  its  tail 
with  starry  gems." 

ARIADNE. 

Looke!   how  the  crowne  which  Ariadne  wore 

Upon  her  yvory  forehead,  that  same  day 

That  Theseus  her  unto  his  bridale  hore 

When  the  hold  Centaures  made  that  bloudy  fray, 

With  the  fierce  Lapithes  which  did  them  dismay, 

Being  now  placed  in  the  firmament, 

Through  the  bright  heaven  doth  her  beams  display, 

And  is  unto  the  starres  an  ornament, 

Which  round  about  her  move  in  order  excellent. 

F.  Q.  6.  10.  13. 

There  is  one  point  in  which  the  mythology  of  this  passage  is 
not  accurate  :  the  quarrel  between  the  Lapithae  and  the  Centaurs 
did  not  occur  at  the  marriage  of  Theseus  and  Ariadne,  but  at  the 
nuptials  of  Pirithous,  whose  "  feare  "  Spenser  elsewhere  calls 
Theseus.  (See  Met.  12.  210  ff.). 

Iu  regard  to  the  crown  of  Ariadne,  Spenser  follows  but  one 
of  several  myths  in  making  it  the  gift  of  Theseus  to  Ariadne 
upon  their  wedding-day.  Hyginus  (Poet.  Astron.  2.  Corona)  has 
a  long  discussion  on  this  point ;  while  some  writers  say  that  the 
crown  was  given  to  Ariadne  by  Venus,  at  her  wedding  with 
Bacchus,  there  is  authority  for  making  it  the  gift  of  Theseus  at 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY.  31 

his  marriage  with  Ariadne.  All  writers,  however,  agree  that  it 
was  Bacchus  who  placed  the  crown  among  the  stars  (see  Met. 
8.  177  ff.). 

ARION. 

The  beautiful  myth  of  Arion's  charming  the  dolphin  by  the 
power  of  his  music  is  related  at  some  length  by  Ovid  (Fast.  2. 
83  ff.).  He  tells  how  the  tuneful  Arion  found  himself  in  the 
hands  of  a  merciless  crew  on  board  a  vessel ;  how  escape  seemed 
impossible,  till,  seizing  his  lyre,  he  leaped  into  the  water,  and,  by 
the  aid  of  his  music,  pressed  a  dolphin  into  his  service  ;  and 
how,  borne  upon  the  back  of  the  dolphin,  he  glided  over  the 
waves  to  safety.  Spenser  abridges  the  myth  to  the  compass  of 
a  few  lines  (F.  Q.  4.  11.  23),  and  in  Am.  38  he  employs  it  in 
skillful  comparison. 

ARNE.  -  F.  Q.  3.  11.  42. 

The  statement  that  Neptune  turned  himself  into  a  steer  in 
order  to  beguile  Arne,  the  daughter  of  .iEolus,  is  founded  upon 
Met.  6.  115.  See  also  Diod.  Sic.  4.  67. 

ASOPTJS.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  14.    See  Sea-Gods. 
ASTEKIA.  -  F.  Q.  3.  11.  34. 

Like  the  foregoing  amours  of  Jove,  this  is  taken  from  Ovid's 
list  (Met.  6.  108).  With  it  compare  Apoll.  1.  4.  1. 

ASTERIA.  —  Mui.  119,  etc.    See  Venus. 
ASTHMA. -F.  Q.  5.  1.  5.     Daph.  218. 

We  have  in  Astrsea,  as  here  pictured,  the  ideal  of  justice 
dwelling  among  men  in  some  far-off  time  before  the  race  fell 
from  its  perfect  state.  Hyginus  (Poet.  Astron.  2.  Virgo),  quoting 
Aratus,  says  that  Astnea  lived  in  the  golden  age  of  peace  and 
plenty.  When,  however,  justice  declined,  she  could  not  endure 
the  state  of  affairs,  and  so  left  the  earth  for  the  sky. 

ASTR^JUS.— F.  Q.  4.  11.  13.      See  Sea-Gods. 
ATALANTA.  -  F.  Q.  2.  7.  64.    Am.  77. 

Both  of  these  passages  refer  to  the  apples  by  means  of  which 
Atalanta  was  outrun,  the  first  mentioning  the  fact  that  it  was  a 


32  SPENSER'S    CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

Euboean  youth  who  resorted  to  the  strategy,  and  thus  succeeded 
in  outstripping  the  swift-footed  Atalanta. 

This  story  is  related  by  both  Apollodorus  (3.  9.  2)  and  Ovid 
(Met.  10.  560  ff.),  but  with  the  difference  that,  according  to 
Apollodorus,  the  name  of  the  successful  youth  was  Melanion, 
while,  with  Ovid,  it  is  Hippomenes.  Spenser  employs  neither 
name,  but,  as  mentioned  above,  calls  the  successful  competitor 
"the  Euboean  young  man."  This  would  indicate  that  he  took 
the  story  from  Apollodorus  rather  than  from  Ovid ;  for,  according 
to  Apollodorus,  Melanion  was  the  son  of  a  certain  Amphidamas, 
and  we  are  told  by  Hesiod  (W.  and  D.  654)  that  Amphidamas 
was  a  king  of  Chalcis,  on  the  island  of  Eubcea.  Thus  Spenser 
might  properly  speak  of  his  son  as  "  the  Eubcean  young  man." 

ATE.  —  F.  Q.  2.  7.  65;    4.  1.  19;    4.  1.  47;    4.  2.  11;    4.  4.  10;   4.  4.  11; 
4.  5.  22;  4.  5.  31;  4.  9.  24;  5.  9.  47. 

It  is  evident  that  Spenser  makes  Ate  identical  with  Eris, 
because  he  says  (F.  Q.  2.  7.  55)  that  it  was  Ate  who  threw  the 
apple  among  the  gods  :  — 

For  which  th'  Idaean  Ladies  disagreed, 

Till  partiall  Paris  dempt  it  Venus  dew, 

And  had  of  her  fayre  Helen  for  his  ineed, 

That  many  nohle  Greekes  and  Trojans  made  to  bleed, 

and  in  F.  Q.  4.  1.  22,  he  hints  the  same.  According  to  the  an- 
cients, however,  it  was  Eris  who  stirred  that  fatal  strife  (see 
Hyg.  Fab.  92). 

But  there  is  no  essential  difference  in  the  character  of  the 
two.  They  are  both  divinities  delighting  in  discord  and  strife. 

According  to  Homer,  Ate  was  the  daughter  of  Jove,  once 
inhabiting  Olympus,  but  banished  thence  because  she  had  dared 
to  outwit  Jove  himself  (//.  19.  128)  ;  but  Hesiod  (Theog.  230)  says 
she  was  the  daughter  of  Eris,  who,  in  turn,  was  the  daughter  of 
Night,  who  was  born  of  Chaos.  Such  an  ancestry  would  warrant 
Spenser  in  saying  (F.  Q.  4.  1.  26)  that  Ate  was  "borne  of  hellish 
brood,"  and  would,  indeed,  furnish  him  with  a  suggestion  for  that 
marvelous  allegorical  picture  of  the  "  mother  of  debate  "  and  her 
abode  which  he  draws  at  length  in  F.  Q.  4.  1.  19  ff.  What  but 
the  imagination  of  Spenser  could  have  produced  that  image  of 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  33 

her  foul  face,  squinted  eyes,  loathly  mouth ;  of  her  divided  tongue 
and  heart ;  her  distorted  ears ;  her  feet  unlike,  and  pointed  in 
opposite  directions ;  her  hands  interfering  with  each  other  ?  Al- 
most as  striking  is  the  description  of  her  abode,  "  Hard  by  the 
gates  of  hell  .  .  .  With  thornes  and  barren  brakes  environd 
round." 

Homer  very  appropriately  calls  Ate  "  venerable,"  and  Spenser 
likewise  (F.  Q.  5.  9.  47)  speaks  of  her  as  "that  old  hag." 

ATLAS.— F.  q.  2.  7.  64;  3.  1.  57;  Ver.  2. 

The  first  of  these  passages  refers  to  Atlas  as  the  father  of  the 
Hesperides ;  the  second  refers  to  him  as  the  father  of  the  Hyades ; 
the  third,  to  the  myth  which  represents  Atlas  as  sustaining  the 
firmament  upon  his  shoulders.  There  is  ample  support  for  all  in 
the  ancient  mythology.  Not  that  Spenser  calls  the  daughters  of 
Atlas  by  name :  the  Hesperides  he  alludes  to  as  those  who  were 
conquered  by  Hercules  in  their  guardianship  over  the  golden 
apples ;  the  Hyades,  as  the  "  moist  daughters." 

Ancient  authorities  by  no  means  agree  as  to  the  parentage  of 
the  Hesperides ;  t>ut  Spenser  has  the  support  of  Diodorus  Siculus 
(4.  27)  in  calling  them  the  daughters  of  Atlas.  They  were  ap- 
pointed by  Juno  to  guard  upon  Mt.  Atlas  the  apples  which  she 
had  received  at  her  marriage ;  but  the  eleventh  labor  imposed 
upon  Hercules  was  to  obtain  these  apples.  This  he  did  by  the 
assistance  of  Atlas.  For  the  ancient  authorities  on  this  point  see 
Hercules. 

There  is  the  same  disagreement  among  the  ancients  as  to 
the  parentage  of  the  Hyades.  Spenser  follows  Ovid  (Fast.  3. 105 ; 
5.  169)  in  calling  Atlas  their  father. 

Servius,  in  commenting  upon  JEn.  1.  744,  mentions,  among 
other  alleged  derivations  of  the  name  Hyades,  that  from  the 
Greek  verb  veiv,  to  rain  —  a  derivation  based  upon  the  belief  that 
the  rising  of  the  Hyades  produced  rain.  Thus  Virgil  calls  them 
"the  rainy  Hyades"  (JEn.  1.  744;  3.  516);  Horace  speaks  of 
their  sad  portent  (Carm.  1.3);  and  Spenser,  following  these 
poets,  calls  the  Hyades  "moist"  (F.  Q.  3.  1.  57). 

The  setting  of  the  Hyades  is  poetically  described  by  Spenser 
thus ;  — 


34  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY. 

And  the  moist  daughters  of  huge  Atlas  strove, 
Into  the  Ocean  deepe  to  drive  their  weary  drove. 

F.  <?.  3. 1.  57. 

Such  passages  as  //.  18.  489  might  be  cited  as  having  sug- 
gested to  Spenser  the  disappearance  of  the  Hyades  into  the  ocean 
—  " .  .  .  and  [the  Bear]  alone  hath  no  part  in  the  baths  of  the 
ocean;"  or  the  similar  passage  in  Georg.  1.  246;  or  Met.  15.  30 
— "  Candidus  Oceano  nitidum  Caput  abdiderat  Sol."  Their 
"  drove,"  of  which  Spenser  speaks  above,  may  possibly  have  been 
suggested  by  the  "grege  "  in  Fast.  5.  164. 

ATROPOS.  —  F.  q.  4.  2.  48;  4.  2.  49.    See  Fates. 

AURORA.—  F.  Q.  1.  4.  16;  1.  11.  61;  3.  10.  1;  3.  3.  20 ;  V.  G.  9. 

The  goddess  of  dawn  appears  so  often  upon  the  pages  of  the 
ancients  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  say  just  where  Spenser  de- 
rived his  passing  references  to  her.  In  F.  Q.  1.  4.  16  he  described 
her  as  decked  in  "purple  pall,"  and  again  (F.  Q.  1.  11.  51)  he 
speaks  of  her  "rosy  cheekes."  The  adjective  "purpurea"  is  fre- 
quently used  by  the  Latin  poets  to  describe  Aurora,  but  the  differ- 
ent shades  indicated  by  that  word  merge  into  one  another  like 
the  colors  of  the  dawning  east :  it  may  mean  "  purple  "  or  "  red  " 
or  "  violet  "  or  even  "  blackish."  Thus,  in  Met.  3.  184,  we  read 
of  "purpureae  Aurorse."  The  adjective  "rosea"  also  is  used  by 
the  poets  in  describing  Aurora.  (See  Lucretius,  5.  655.)  Thus 
also  in  V.  G.  9  we  read  of  her  "rosy  hair."  "Rosea"  may  mean, 
not  only  "rose-colored,"  but  also  "of  roses."  Such  passages  as 
JEn.  7.  26,  where  Aurora  is  described  as  riding  in  her  rosy 
(roseus)  car,  no  doubt  suggested  to  Spenser  the  "  flower-decked 
chariot  "of  F.  Q.  1.  11.  51. 

"  Crocea,"  also,  is  used  in  the  classics  as  descriptive  of 
Aurora :  thus  in  JEn.  7.  25  she  is  described  as  "  yellow  morn," 
and  Ovid  (Amor.  2.  4.  43)  speaks  of  how  charming  she  is  with 
her  saffron  "locks.  Spenser  follows  him  when  he  describes  her 
"  golden  locks  "  hanging  loosely  about  her  ears. 

There  are  two  references  to  her  as  the  wife  of  the  aged 
Tithonus  (F.  Q.  1.  11.  51;  3.  3.  20).  The  Horn.  Hymn  to  Venus 
relates  the  story  of  Aurora's  mistake  in  asking  Jove  that  her 
husband  might  be  immortal,  and  forgetting  to  ask  for  him  also 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  35 

perpetual  youth.  With  these  two  passages  from  Spenser  compare 
the  first  lines  of  Od.  5  :  "  Now  the  Dawn  arose  from  her  couch, 
from  the  side  of  the  lordly  Tithonus,  to  bear  light  to  the  immor- 
tals and  to  mortal  men." 

AUTONOE.—  F.  Q.  4.  11.  50.    See  Nereids. 
AVERNUS.  —  F.  Q.  1.  6.  31. 

It  is  evident  throughout  this  entire  passage  that  Spenser  had 
in  mind  the  descent  of  ^neas  into  Hades  (JEn.  Q.  237  ff.). 
There  Lake  Avernus  is  represented  as  the  entrance  to  Hell : 
"  There  was  a  cavern,  deep  and  huge,  with  its  vast  mouth,  craggy, 
sheltered  by  its  black  lake  and  forest  gloom,  o'er  which  no  birds 
might  speed  along  unharmed ;  such  an  exhalation,  pouring  from 
its  black  jaws,  rose  to  the  vault  of  heaven  ;  wherefore  the  Greeks 
named  the  spot  Avernus." 

BACCHUS. 

Out  of  the  great  mass  of  tradition  pertaining  to  Bacchus, 
Spenser  has  selected  several  points.  As  the  god  of  wine,  or,  by 
metonymy,  as  wine  itself,  Bacchus  is  referred  to  in  F.  Q.  1.  6.  15 ; 
2.  1.  55;  3.  9.  30.  In  F.  Q.  5.  1.  2  we  have  a  reference  to  him 
as  the  champion  of  justice.  T.  M.  461  is  a  declaration  by  Cal- 
liope, the  muse  of  epic  poetry,  that  she  raised  Bacchus  to  heaven. 
In  F.  Q.  5.  8.  47  ;  V.  G.  22  there  are  allusions  to  the  tragic  death 
of  Pentheus,  who  was  torn  to  pieces  by  his  own  mother,  Agave, 
during  some  Bacchic  orgies. 

In  the  Horn.  Hymn  to  Bacchus,  which  relates  how  Bacchus 
transformed  the  crew  of  a  ship  into  dolphins,  and  the  ship  itself 
into  a  vine,  Bacchus  declares  himself  to  be  the  raging  god  of 
wine  —  the  son  of  Jove  and  Semele.  The  same  myth  is  treated 
by  Ovid  (Met.  3.  631  ff.).  In  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey,  too,  he 
figures  as  the  god  of  wine. 

Ep.  255  bids  that  Bacchus,  as  well  as  Hymen,  be  crowned  at 
the  marriage.  Although  it  does  not  appear  that  the  crowning 
of  this  god  was  a  regular  part  of  the  marriage  festival  of  the 
ancients,  as  was  that  of  Hymen  with  the  Romans,  yet  it  is  not 
inappropriate  that  the  god  of  wine  and  revelry  should  be  intro- 
duced here.  Furthermore,  in  ancient  art  and  literature  the  crown 


36  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

of  vine-leaves  and  ivy  is  a  noticeable  feature  of  this  god.     See 
Horace,  Carm.  3.  25  ;  4.  8. 

It  is  a  very  interesting  study  to  trace  the  development  of  the 
attributes  of  this  divinity.  In  Homeric  times  he  was  the  god  of 
wine,  who  taught  men  the  cultivation  of  the  vine ;  this  idea  was 
further  developed,  until  he  became  identified  with  the  cultivation 
of  trees  and  shrubs  in  general.  Thus  far  he  seems  to  be  the 
personification  of  productive  life  in  nature.  In  later  times,  how- 
ever, this  god  of  superabounding  energy  takes  on  a  more  ethical 
character,  and  becomes  the  champion  of  law  and  order.  It  is  in 
this  character  that  he  appears  in  the  following  lines  :  — 

Such  first  was  Bacchus,  that  with  furious  might, 
All  th'  East,  before  untam'd,  did  over-ronne, 
And  wrong  repressed,  and  establisht  right, 
Which  lawlesse  men  had  formerly  fordonne: 
There  Justice  first  her  princely  rule  begonne. 

F.  Q.  5.  1.  2. 

It  was  a  common  tradition  that,  as  Hercules  conquered  the 
West,  so  Bacchus,  accompanied  by  numerous  raging  attendants, 
swept  through  the  East,  especially  India,  introducing  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  vine,  founding  cities,  and  establishing  laws.  Apollo- 
dorus  (3.  5.  2)  mentions  this,  as  do  Diodorus  Siculus  (2.  38)  and 
Ovid  (Fast.  3.  720). 

The  conquests  of  Bacchus,  like  those  of  Hercules,  were  so 
vast  as  to  be  on  an  epic  scale.  Thus  is  it  particularly  appropriate 
that  Calliope,  the  muse  of  epic  poetry,  should  declare  that  it  was 
she  who  had  raised  Bacchus  and  Hercules  to  heaven  —  that  is, 
made  them  famous  for  all  time  (T.  M.  461). 

But  woe  unto  the  man  who  dared  to  oppose  the  cultivation 
of  the  vine  and  the  introduction  of  the  mad  orgies  which  accom- 
panied the  mystic  worship  of  Bacchus !  Such  a  man  was  Pen- 
theus,  the  son  of  the  Bacchante  Agave.  Intruding  in  anger  upon 
the  sacred  rites  which  were  being  celebrated  upon  Mt.  Cithaeron 
in  Boeotia,  his  mother,  in  her  frenzy,  mistook  him  for  a  boar,  and 
struck  him  with  her  thyrsus.  "\Vhereupon,  she  and  her  sister 
Bacchantes  rushed  upon  the  wretched  Pentheus,  and  tore  him 
limb  from  limb.  Thus  did  he  become  an  example  of  the  foolish- 
ness of  withstanding  the  worship  of  Bacchus  (Met.  3.  701  ff.). 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY.  37 

BELLONA.  — F,  Q.  3.  9.  22;  7.  6.  3;  S.  C.  Oct.  114. 

Bellona,  the  Roman  goddess  of  war,  is  identified  by  Spenser 
with  Pallas,  the  Greek  goddess  of  armed  resistance.  This  we 
know  from  a  note  by  E.  K.  explaining  S.  C.  Oct.  114.  She- is 
here  called  "  queint  Bellona,"  an  epithet  referring  to  her  peculiar 
birth  from  the  head  of  her  father,  Jupiter.  In  support  of  this 
story  Lucian  is  cited ;  therefore,  see  his  dialogue  between  He- 
phaestus and  Zeus. 

This  identification  is  preserved  further  in  F.  Q.  3.  9.  22, 
where  Bellona  is  represented  as  having  engaged  in  the  slaughter 
of  the  giants,  and  as  having  killed  Enceladus  with  her  own  spear. 
Compare  with  this  Apoll.  1.  6.  1,  where  Minerva  is  said,  not  to 
have  killed  Enceladus  with  her  spear,  but  to  have  thrown  the 
island  of  Sicily  upon  him  in  his  flight.  There  is  a  further  dis- 
crepancy in  the  statement  that  this  occurred  upon  Hfemus,  which 
had  been  heaped  high  by  him.  Spenser  is  evidently  thinking  of 
the  contest  which  Typhon  waged  with  Jupiter  on  Hsemus  —  a 
description  of  which,  in  Apoll.  1.  6.  1,  2,  3,  4,  follows  immediately 
upon  the  story  of  the  war  with  the  giants.  In  F.  Q.  7.  6.  3,  how- 
ever, the  character  of  Bellona  is  represented  as  quite  different 
from  that  of  Pallas,  who  does  not  delight  in  war  for  its  own 
sake ;  while  Bellona,  like  the  Greek  Enyo,  revels  in  the  spirit  of 
battle,  and  arouses  enthusiasm  in  armies.  See  Mn.  8.  703. 

BELTJS.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  16.    See  Founders  of  Nations. 
BEREC  YNTHT AN  (Goddess).  —  B.  B.  6.    See  Cybele. 
BIBLIS.  —  F.  Q.  3.  2.  41. 

We  have  here  a  slight  reference  to  the  unnatural  love  of 
Biblis  for  her  brother  Caunus.  The  horrible  story  of  her  pas- 
sion, its  frustration,  and  her  final  metamorphosis  into  a  fountain, 
is  related  in  detail  by  Ovid  (Met.  9.  454  ff.). 

BISALTIS.  — F.  Q.^3.  11.  41. 

Spenser,  alluding  to  the  sad  aspect  of  Neptune,  says  :  — 

Ne  ought  but  deare  Bisaltis  ay  could  make  him  glad. 

Met.  6.  117  is  the  source  of  this  statement :  "  .  .  .  aries  Bisaltida 

fallis." 


38  SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

BOREAS.  — F.  Q.  1.  2.  33;  5.  11.  58;   S.  C.  Feb.  225;  B..R.  16;  26. 

Boreas  was  the  personification  of  the  north  wind,  and  as 
such  is  often  referred  to  by  the  ancients  (see  JEn.  3.  687). 
There  are  accounts  of  various  exploits  accomplished  by  him 
which  are  in  keeping  with  his  blustering  character,  but  Spenser 
makes  no  reference  to  them.  Modified  by  the  epithets  "  bleak," 
"  wrathful,"  "  blustering,"  "  fell,"  and  "  colde,"  Boreas  is  simply 
another  name  for  the  north  wind. 

BRONTES.  —  F.  Q.  4.  5.  37  ;  4.  11.  18. 

From  the  first  reference  we  learn  that  Brontes  was  a  giant 
who,  in  the  Lipari  Islands,  was  associated  with  Pyracmon  in 
forging  thunderbolts  for  the  use  of  Zeus  —  a  passage  whose 
source  is  evidently  ^En.  8.  416  ff.,  where  these  two  giants  and 
a  third,  Steropes,  are  described,  under  the  less  generic  name  of 
Cyclops,  as  working  at  the  subterranean  forges. 

Brontes  is  mentioned  also  in  the  list  of  sea-gods  (.F.  Q.  4.  11. 
13),  for  which  see  Sea-Gods. 

CADMUS. 

This  hero  is  mentioned  but  three  times  by  Spenser,  and  each 
time  in  a  different  capacity  :  he  appears  as  the  builder  of  the  acrop- 
olis at  Thebes  (F.  Q.  2.  9.  45)  ;  as  the  father  of  Agave  ( V.  G. 
22)  ;  and  as  the  ancestor  of  two  hostile  brothers  (  V.  G.  52). 

The  whole  story  of  the  founding  of  Thebes,  the  Boeotian 
city,  by  Cadmus,  the  son  of  Agenor,  is  related  by  Ovid  (Met. 
3.  876  ff.).  Bidden  by  his  father  to  recover  his  sister  Europa, 
who  had  been  carried  away  by  Zeus,  or  never  to  show  himself  in 
his  home-country  again,  Cadmus  sets  out  upon  his  quest.  It 
proves  to  be  a  futile  one ;  and,  as  an  exile,  he  turns  to  the  oracle 
at  Delphi  for  directions  as  to  his  future  course.  He  is  told  to 
follow  a  cow,  which  he  would  meet,  and,  wherever  she  should  lie 
down,  on  that  spot  to  found  a  city.  He  obeys  directions,  follows 
the  heifer,  and  on  the  allotted  spot,  by  the  aid  of  armed  men, 
who  had  sprung  from  the  teeth  of  a  hostile  dragon,  Cadmus 
founds  the  city  of  Thebes,  the  famous  citadel  of  which  is  re- 
ferred to  by  Spenser.  The  same  story,  in  briefer  form,  is  related 
by  Apollodorus  (3.  4.  1).  The  two  hostile  brothers  who  are  re- 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  39 

ferred  to  in.  V.  G.  52  are  Eteocles  and  Polyneices.     That  they 
were  "  borne  of  Cadmus  blood "  is  evident  from  the  following 

table  :  — 

CADMUS  • . 

I 

POLYDORUS 

I 
LABDACUS 

I 
LAIUS 

I 

OEDIPUS 
I 


ETEOCLES  POLYNEICES 

CAICUS.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  14.    See  Sea-Gods. 

CALLIOPE.  —  F.  Q.   7.  6.  37;  S.  C.  Apr.  100;  S.  C.  June  67;  T.  M.  13. 

See  Muses. 

CAMILLA.  — F.  Q.  3.  4.  2. 

This  warrior  maid,  '  whom  Diana  contented,  and  who  cher- 
ished an  unchanging  love  for  her  darts  and  her  virgin  state,'  is 
the  most  striking  figure  in  JEn.  11.  Surrounded  by  her  select 
retinue  of  Italian  virgins,  she  engages  in  fearless  conflict  with 
the  Trojans  and  their  allies ;  long  is  the  list  of  those  she  slew, 
among  whom  was  the  Trojan  Orsilochus. 

CASSIOPEA.  —  F.  Q.  1.  3.  16. 

It  is  the  chair  of  Cassiopea  that  is  referred  to  here.  The 
boastful  pride  of  Cassiopea  in  her  own  beauty,  and  the  vengeance 
of  Xeptune  wreaked  upon  her  daughter,  have  already  been  cited 
(see  Andromeda).  The  further  punishment  of  Cassiopea  can- 
not better  be  described  than  by  a  translation  of  Hyginus,  Poet. 
Astron.  2,  Cassiopea :  "  Concerning  her  Euripides  and  Sopho- 
cles and  many  others  have  written,  how  she  boasted  that  she  sur- 
passed the  Nereids  in  beauty :  for  this  her  abode  was  fixed 
among  the  constellations,  and  she  was  seated  upon  a  throne  so 
that,  as  a  punishment  for  her  impiety,  she  seems,  as  the  earth 
revolves,  to  move  with  her  head  bent  backwards." 

CEJ1SINO  —  F.  Q.  2.  7.  23. 

The  picture  which  Spenser  here  paints  of  the  harpy  Celaeno, 
sitting  on  a  cliff,  and  singing  a  song  so  sad  that  it  would  melt  a 
heart  of  stone,  is  a  reproduction  of  JEn.  3.  245  ff.  jEneas  and 


40  SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

his  companions  have  landed  on  one  of  the  Strophades.  They  kill 
some  cattle  and  prepare  a  repast.  No  sooner  are  they  seated  to 
regale  themselves  than  a  band  of  harpies  swoop  down  upon  them 
and  defile  the  viands.  Virgil  describes  the  harpies  as  foul  mon- 
sters, having  the  faces  of  virgins,  and  the  body,  wings,  and  talons 
of  sea-fowls.  They  are,  moreover,  always  pale  with  consuming 
hunger.  They  have  formerly  inhabited  Thrace,  where  they  vexed 
the  soothsayer  Phineus  (see  Ap.  Rh.  2.  178  ff.) ;  but,  driven 
thence  by  the  Argonauts,  they  have  since  made  the  Strophades 
their  haunt.  After  a  combat  with  these  monsters,  /Eneas  and  his 
men  are  forced  to  listen  to  a  dire  prophecy  from  the  lips  of 
Celseno,  one  of  the  harpies.  She  is  described  by  Virgil  as  the 
prophetess  of  ill,  seated  upon  a  high  rock,  uttering  the  dire  curse 
which  shall  follow  the  band  of  Trojans. 

CERBERUS.  —  F.  Q.  1.  5.  34  ;  1.  11.  41 ;  4.  10.  58 ;  V.  G.  44  ;  55. 

The  description  of  Cerberus  in  the  first  of  these  passages  is 
patterned  after  jEn.  6.  417  ff.  There,  too,  he  is  described  as  the 
monster  that  guarded  the  gates  of  hell,  rearing  his  snakes  in 
anger  at  the  approach  of  ^Eneas.  But  in  that  case  he  is  ap- 
peased by  the  Sibyl  who  accompanied  Virgil,  while  Spenser  says 
that  it  was  Night  who  pacified  the  monster. 

With  the  references  to  Cerberus  in  connection  with  the  de- 
scent of  Orpheus  into  hell,  compare  Georg.  4.  483  ;  Met.  10.  11  ff. 

CERES.  — F.  Q.  3.  1.  51,  V.  G.  26. 

This  Roman  goddess  of  plenty  is  one  with  the  Greek  Demeter. 
Her  character  and  attributes  are  vividly  portrayed  in  the  Hymn  to 
Ceres,  by  Callimachus  ;  and  consistent  with  it  are  the  numerous 
references  to  this  goddess  in  later  Greek  and  Latin  writers,  as 
well  as  the  one  from  Spenser,  which  describes  her  as  fruitful,  and 
as  bountifully  pouring  out  her  plenty.  The  Hymn  to  Ceres  de- 
clares that  to  Triptolemus  Ceres  taught  the  art  of  agriculture. 

CHARON.  — V.  G.  43. 

For  a  description  of  Charon,  the  ferryman  of  the  rivers  in 
the  Lower  World,  see  JEn.  6.  298  ff. :  "  With  his  own  hands 
he  works  the  boat  along  with  a  pole,  and  manages  the  sails,  and 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY,  41 

is  always  conveying  to  the  shore  the  dead  in  his  murky  bark,  old 
as  he  now  is." 

CTTTM/KRA.—  F.  Q.  6.  1.  8  ;  V.  G.  3. 

This  monster  is  described  by  Homer  (//.  6.  179  ff.)  as  in 
front  a  lion,  behind  a  dragon,  in  the  middle  a  goat,  and  as 
breathing  forth  fire.  He  says  further  that  she  was  killed  by  Bel- 
lerophon  in  Lycia,  by  the  river  Xanthus.  Virgil  (JEn.  6.  288) 
places  this  monster,  with  others,  at  the  portals  of  the  Lower 
World  —  a  passage  which  no  doubt  furnished  Spenser  with  his 
"  fell  Chimaera  in  her  darksome  den." 

CHIRON.  — P.  Q.  7.  7.  40.    See  Erigone. 
CHLORIS.  — S.  C.  Apr.  122. 

Chloris  is  here  described  as  the  chiefest  nymph  of  all,  and 
as  wearing  a  crown  of  olives  upon  her  head.  E.  K.  (Spenser  ?)? 
in  his  note  on  this  passage,  says  :  "  Claris,  the  name  of  a  nymph 
and  signifieth  greenesse  [XAwpos,  light  green],  of  whom  is  sayd,  that 
Zephyrus,  the  westerne  wind,  being  in  love  with  her,  and  coveting 
her  to  wyfe,  gave  her  for  a  dowrie  the  chiefdome  and  soveraigntye 
of  al  flowres,  and  green  herbes,  growing  on  earth."  For  this 
conception  Spenser  is  plainly  indebted  to  Ovid,  Fast.  5.  195 
ff.,  where  Chloris  is  identified  with  Flora,  and,  as  the  wife  of 
Zephyrus,  has  dominion  over  gardens  and  fields. 

CHRYSAOR.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  14.    See  Sea-Gods. 
CICONES.-Y.  G.  68. 

A  people  of  Thrace  who  were  auxiliaries  of  the  Trojans. 
Attacked  by  Ulysses,  after  Troy  was  destroyed,  they  killed  some 
of  his  men,  and  put  the  others  to  flight.  Compare  Od.  9.  38  ff. 

CIMMERIANS.  — T.  M.  256;  V.  G.  47. 

The  dusky  abode  of  the  Cimmerians  is  a  matter  of  dispute 
among  the  ancients  :  Homer  (Od.  11.  14)  places  it  in  the  Western 
world,  —  according  to  Strabo,  near  Lake  Avernus  in  Italy,  —  and 
speaks  of  it  as  the  entrance  to  the  Lower  World,  whence  Ulysses 
visited  the  shades.  With  this  compare  V.  G.  47.  Ovid,  on  the 
other  hand  (Pont,  Ep.  4.  10),  writing  from  Pontus,  speaks  of  that 
country  as  the  Cimmerian  shore. 


42  SPENSER1  S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

CLIMENE.  — F.  Q.  8.  11.  38.    See  Clyxnene. 
CLIO — F.  Q.  3.  3.  4;  7.  6.  37.    See  Muses. 
CLOTHO.  —  F.  Q.  4.  2.  48;  H.  L.  63.    See  Fates. 
CLYMENE.  — F.  Q.  3.  11.  38. 

Spenser  here  alludes  to  her  as  the  wife  of  Apollo  and  the 
mother  of  Phaeton.  With  this  compare  Met.  2.  19  if. 

COCYTUS.  — F.  Q.  1.  1.  37;  2.  7.  56;  3.  4.  65. 

A  river  of  the  Lower  World,  mentioned  in  ^En.  6.  132,  297, 
323.  For  F.  Q.  1.  1.  37  see  Gorgon. 

CORONIS.  — F.  Q.  3.  11.  37. 

We  have  here  a  reference  to  Coronis,  the  beloved  of  Apollo. 
Spenser  says  that,  dying  at  the  hands  of  Apollo,  she  was  changed 
into  a  sweetbrier,  and  that  afterwards  Apollo  tore  his  golden  hair 
in  remorse  for  his  rash  act. 

Both  Ovid  (Met.  2.  542  ff.)  and  Hyginus  (Fab.  202)  relate 
this  story  of  Apollo's  jealousy  regarding  the  unfaithfulness  of  his 
beloved  Coronis.  They  both  say  that  he  killed  her  in  anger,  and 
Ovid  adds  that  he  repented  of  his  cruelty  when  it  was  too  late 
to  restore  her  to  life.  There  is,  however,  no  authority  for  saying 
that  she  was  turned  into  a  sweetbrier ;  thus  we  have  here  another 
example  of  Spenser's  original  mythology. 

CORYBANTES.  — F.  Q.  7.  6.  27.    See  Cybele. 
CREUSA.  — F.  Q.  2.  12.  45.    See  Argonautic  Expedition. 
CUPID. 

Spenser  is  not  consistent  in  his  treatment  of  the  god  of 
love,  who  appears  so  often  in  his  poems :  although,  for  the  most 
part,  he  represents  Cupid  as  the  sportive  boy  of  the  later  classics, 
yet  in  certain  cases  he  deviates  from  this  conception,  and  portrays 
the  Cupid  (Eros)  of  the  early  cosmogonies  —  that  is,  as  one  of 
the  fundamental  principles  of  nature,  the  power  by  which  dis- 
cordant elements  were  united  and  harmony  brought  out  of  chaos. 
Thus  does  Cupid  figure  in  the  lengthy  passage  on  love  in  Co.  Cl. 
(768  ff.),  although  even  in  this  connection  there  are  hints  of  the 
later  Cupid  in  the  references  to  his  tyrannical  spirit,  his  bow 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  43 

and  arrows,  etc.  In  the  Hymne  of  Love  also  we  meet  the  cosmo- 
gonic  Cupid.  This  conception  was,  no  doubt,  suggested  by  a 
passage  in  Plato's  Symposium ;  that,  in  turn,  being  founded  upon 
Theog.  120  ff.,  where  Eros  is  represented  as  a  resistless  power^ 
born  of  Chaos.  The  story  of  Cupid's  birth  from  Poros  (Plenty) 
and  Peuia  (Poverty)  is  also  taken  from  the  Symposium.  Indeed, 
the  Hymne  of  Love  and  the  Hymne  of  Beautie  are  evidences  of 
Plato's  influence  over  Spenser. 

The  reference  to  Cupid's  being  awakened  to  life  by  Clotho 
may  have  been  suggested  by  Orph.  Arg.  15,  where  he  is  repre- 
sented as  the  first  of  all  the  gods  to  emerge  from  Chaos.  Accord- 
ing to  the  several  attributes  of  the  Fates,  it  would  be  Clotho, 
rather  than  Lachesis  or  Atropos,  who  would  call  souls  to  life. 
(See  Fates.) 

Spenser  is  at  variance  with  himself  regarding  the  parentage 
of  Cupid.  In  Co.  Cl.  801  he  represents  him  as  born  of  Venus, 
but  without  a  father,  since  Venus  was  of  both  sexes  (a  classical 
conception,  for  which  see  Serv.  ;En.  2.  632).  Compare  also  F.  Q. 
4.  10.  41.  On  the  other  hand,  in  F.  Q.  1.  Int.  3,  Spenser  declares 
Cupid  to  be  the  son  of  Jove  and  Venus.  This  would  make  Jove 
both  the  father  and  grandfather  of  Cupid,  as  in  Virgil's  Ciris, 
134  —  a  passage  to  be  explained  in  the  light  of  Eurip.  Hip.  534. 

In  other  passages  (F.  Q.  2.  8.  6  ;  3.  6.  20 ;  4.  Int.  5 ;  4.  12. 
13;  6.  7.  37;  Mui.  98;  H.  L.  and  H.  B.  passim;  Pro.  96;  Epi- 
grams 1,  3,  4)  Cupid  is  referred  to  as  the  son  of  Venus  simply? 
without  reference  to  his  father.  The  Symposium,  again,  as  well 
as  numerous,  other  passages  from  classical  literature,  might  be 
quoted  in  support  of  these. 

In  -F.  Q.  3.  6.  50  Cupid  and  Psyche  are  represented  as  dwell- 
ing together  in  a  state  of  bliss,  and  Pleasure  is  their  child.  See 
Psyche,  and  compare  Mui.  126  ff. ;  H.  L.  288. 

As  said  above,  Spenser's  usual  conception  of  Cupid  corre- 
sponds to  that  of  the  later  classics  :  he  is  "  a  faire,  young,  lusty 
boy  "  (F.  Q.  7.  7.  46). 

We  read  of  his  conquests  over  the  gods  —  Jove,  Phoebus, 
Neptune,  Saturn,  Bacchus,  and  Mars  —  in  F.  Q.  3.  11.  30  ff . ; 
2.  6.  35  (see  the  several  headings)  ;  and  of  his  resistless  domin- 
ion over  men  (F.  Q.  3.  1.  39  ;  3.  11.  46  ;  4.  9.  2  ;  6.  8.  25). 


44  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

His  power  is  spoken  of  as  a  snare  (F.  Q.  1.  10.  30) ;  as  a 
yoke  (Co.  Cl.  566)  ;  as  a  wanton  rage  (F.  Q.  2.  9.  18),  and  the 
exhibition  of  it  as  wanton  sports  (F.  Q.  2.  9.  34). 

He  is  represented  as  blind  (Epigram  1 ;  F.  Q.  6.  7.  32)  ;  as 
winged  (Am.  60)  ;  as  armed  with  bows  and  arrows  (F.  Q.  2.  9.  34  ; 
Epigram  2)  ;  in  Co.  CL  807  these  shafts  are  described  as  of  gold 
and  lead.  (See  Daphne.) 

In  support  of  all  these  references,  we  cannot  do  better  than 
quote  from  E.  K.'s  Glosse  on  S.  C.  March :  "  Swaine,  a  boye :  for 
so  he  is  described  of  the  Poetes  to  be  a  boye,  s.  alwayes  freshe 
and  lustie :  blindfolded,  because  he  maketh  no  differences  of 
personages  :  wyth  divers  colored  winges,  s.  ful  of  flying  fancies : 
with  bowe  and  arrow,  that  is,  with  glaunce  of  beautye,  which 
prycketh  as  a  forked  arrowe.  He  is  sayd  also  to  have  shafts, 
some  leaden,  some  golden  :  that  is,  both  pleasure  for  the  gracious 
and  loved,  and  sorrow  for  the  lover  that  is  disdayned  or  forsaken. 
But  who  lists  more  at  large  to  behold  Cupids  colours  and  fur- 
niture, let  him  reade  ether  Propertius,  or  Moschus,  his  Idyllion 
of  winged  love,  being  now  most  excellently  translated  into  Lat- 
ine  by  the  singuler  learned  man,  Angelus  Politianus." 

The  scene  in  F.  Q.  3.  6.  20  ff.,  where  Venus  is  hunting  for 
the  runaway  Cupid,  was  probably  suggested  by  the  poem  of 
Moschus  referred  to  above. 

Of  the  four  epigrams  on  Cupid,  so  in  harmony  with  the  later 
conception  of  him,  the  fourth  will  be  recognized  as  an  amplifica- 
tion of  Theoc.  Idyl  19  ;  the  second  and  third  as  translations  of 
two  epigrams  by  Clement  Marot  —  De  Diane  and  De  Cupido  et 
de  sa  Dame. 

CYBELE.  — F.  Q.  1.  6.  15;    4.  11.  28;  B.  B.  6. 

This  is  the  name  for  a  Phrygian  divinity  who  became  identi- 
fied with  the  Greek  Rhea.  Spenser  uses  a  strictly  classical  ex- 
pression when  he  calls  her  "  the  mother  of  the  gods  "  (F.  Q. 
4.  11.  28).  Hesiod  (Theog.  453  ff.)  says  that,  as  the  wife  of 
Saturn,  she  became  the  mother  of  Vesta,  Ceres,  Juno,  Pluto, 
Neptune,  and  Jove ;  and  the  epithet,  "  mother  of  the  gods,"  is 
frequently  used  by  the  ancients  to  designate  this  divinity.  See, 
in  particular,  Ovid's  description  of  the  introduction  of  Cybele 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  45 

into  Rome  (Fast.  4.  249  ff.).  Here  she  is  called,  again  and  again, 
"  the  mother,"  or  "  the  mother  of  the  gods." 

Among  her  numerous  other  names  was  Berecynthia,  or,  as  in 
R.  R.  6,  the  Berecynthian  goddess.  Servius,  commenting  upon 
jEn.  6.  785,  where  this  name  is  used,  says :  "  Nam  Berecynthos 
castellum  est  Phrygise  juxta  Sangarium  fluvium,  ubi  mater  deum 
colitur."  This  passage,  as  a  whole,  doubtless  suggested  R.  R.  6 : 
the  chariot,  the  crown  of  turrets,  and  the  pride  of  Berecynthia  in 
her  mighty  offspring,  are  the  same.  With  these  compare  F.  Q. 
4.  11.  28,  where  there  is  the  same  classical  conception.  Servius 
comments  thus  upon  ./En.  6.  786:  "  turrita ;  [rel]  quid  ipsa  est 
terra  quae  urbes  sustinet."  Ovid  explains  her  turret  crown  from 
the  fact  that  she  gave  towers  to  the  earliest  cities. 

The  frantic  rites  of  Cybele  are  alluded  to  in  F.  Q.  1.  6.  15. 
Ovid  (Fast.  4.  201  ft.)  explains  their  origin  by  saying  that 
when  Rhea  brought  forth  Jove  in  Crete,  in  order  to  conceal  his 
cries  from  Saturn,  who  made  a  practice  of  devouring  his  children, 
the  Curetes  and  the  Corybantes  beat  shields  and  rattled  empty 
helmets ;  and  that  the  clash  of  the  cymbals  and  other  noises 
which  attended  the  worship  of  the  goddess  in  later  times  were 
survivals  of  the  din  on  that  occasion.  Thus  Homer  sings  in  the 
Hymn  to  the  Mother  of  the  Gods :  — 

Mother  of  all,  both  gods  and  men,  commend, 

O  Muse  !   whose  fair  form  did  from  Jove  descend ; 

That  doth  with  cymbal  sounds  delight  her  life, 

And  tremulous  divisions  of  the  fife ; 

Loves  dreadful  lions'  roars,  and  wolves'  hoarse  howls, 

Sylvan  retreats  ;   and  hills,  whose  hollow  knolls 

Raise  repercussive  sounds  about  her  ears. 

CYCONES.  —  V.  G.  68.    See  Cicones. 
CYMO.  -  F.  Q.  4.  11.  61.    See  Nereids. 
CYMOTHOE.-F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 

CYNTHIA.  —  F.  Q.  1.  1.  39  ;  1.  7.  34  ;  3.  1.  43.    7.  6.  8  ;  7.  6.  88 ;  7.  7.  50 ; 

S.  C.  Apr.  82  ;  Aug.  89  ;  Ep.  374  ;  Pro.  121.    See  Diana. 

CYPARISSDB.  —  F.  Q.  1.  6.  17. 

The  details  of  the  story  of  Cyparissus,  as  here  cited,  corre- 
spond to  those  of  Ovid's  version  (Met.  10.  120  ff.),  with  this 


46  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

difference :  while,  with  Spenser,  it  is  Silvanus  who  loves  the 
youth,  according  to  Ovid  it  is  Apollo.  There  is,  however,  the 
same  disagreement  among  the  ancients;  thus  Virgil  implies  that 
Cyparissus  was  beloved  of  Silvanus,  when,  in  Georg.  1.  20,  he 
represents  the  rustic  god  as  bearing  a  cypress-tree,  into  which 
Ovid  says  that  the  youth  was  turned  by  Apollo. 

D^EMOGORGON.— F.  Q.  1.  6.  22 ;  4.  2.  47. 

We  cannot  do  better  than  quote  the  remarks  of  Dr.  Jortin 
upon  this  point :  "  Gorgon  :  the  same,  I  suppose,  who  is  called 
Daemogorgon  by  other  modern  writers,  and  by  Spenser  (F.  Q. 

I.  5.  22  ;  4.  2.  47). 

"  They  give  the  name  of  Daemogorgon  to  that  terrible  name- 
less divinity,  of  whom  Lucan  and  Statius  speak,  when  they  intro- 
duce magicians  threatening  the  infernal  gods.  Stat.  Theb.  4.  514. 
Lucan,  6.  744. 

"  Daemogorgon  is  a  name  which  perhaps  was  unknown  in  the 
time  of  Lucan  and  Statius.  However,  it  is  to  be  found  in 
Lactantius,  The  Scholiast  of  Statius,  Theb.  4.  516.  Dicit  deum 
Demogorgona  summum.  It  is  also  to  be  found  in  Hyginus,  page 

II.  Ex  demogorgone  et  Terra,  Python,  draco  divinus  ;  if  the  place 
be  not  corrupted." 

DAMON.  — F.  Q.  4.  10.  27.    See  Pythias. 

DANAE.  — F.  Q.  8.  11.  31. 

We  have  here  a  brief  account  of  Jove's  intrigue  with  Danae. 
In  this  case  he  transformed  himself  into  a  shower  of  gold,  and 
thus,  deceiving  the  guard  who  had  been  placed  to  watch  Danae, 
he  won  her.  For  the  sources  of  this  myth  see  Met.  6.  113  and 
Apoll.  2.  4.  1. 

DAPHNE. -F.  Q.  2.  12.  52;  8.  7.  26;  8.  11.  86;  4.  7.  22. 

In  the  love  of  Apollo  for  Daphne  we  have  another  instance 
of  the  power  of  Cupid  over  the  gods.  In  the  first  of  these  refer- 
ences, Spenser  states  that  it  was  in  the  vale  of  Thessalian  Tempe 
that  "  Fayre  Daphne  Phcebus  hart  with  love  did  gore ; "  in  the 
second  her  flight  on  the  JSgean  strand  is  referred  to,  as  in  the 
fourth  also ;  in  the  third,  we  learn  that  Daphne  did  not  return 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY.  47 

the  love  of  Phoebus,  and  that  the  affair  ended  disastrously  in  her 
death. 

An  examination  of  the  source  of  this  myth  (Met.  1.  452 
ff.)  reveals  the  fact  that  Cupid  was  the  cause  of  all  the  trouble  :' 
Apollo  had  defied  Cupid's  power  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  and 
the  wily  god  of  love,  to  prove  his  might,  lodged  in  the  heart  of 
Phoabus  a  golden,  or  love-exciting  dart,  and  in  the  heart  of 
Daphne,  the  daughter  of  the  River  Peneus  in  Thessaly,  a  leaden 
arrow,  which  would  repel  love.  Thus  did  Daphne  flee  from  the 
embrace  of  Apollo ;  and  when  all  but  overtaken,  having  prayed  to 
her  father  Peneus  for  help,  she  was  turned  into  a  laurel.  Apollo's 
loyalty  to  her  memory  is  shown  in  his  declaration :  "  My  hair,  my 
lyre,  my  quiver,  shall  always  have  thee,  oh  laurel." 

DEMOPHOON V.  0.  26. 

The  tree  here  referred  to  is  the  almond-tree  (see  Serv.  Eel.  5. 
10)  into  which  Phyllis  was  metamorphosed,  when,  grieving  over 
the  supposed  fickleness  of  Demophodn,  she  had  put  an  end  to  her 
life.  Hyginus  (Fab.  59)  says  that  at  a  certain  time  the  trees 
which  sprang  up  at  the  death  of  Phyllis  shed  their  leaves,  thus 
mourning  for  her  untimely  end ;  hence  the  line  :  "  Eternall  hurte 
left  unto  many  one." 

DEUCALION.  — F.  Q.  3.  11.  42;  6.  Int.  2. 

The  first  of  these  passages  states  that  Neptune  turned  him- 
self into  a  dolphin  to  win  the  daughter  of  Deucalion.  In  re- 
counting the  intrigues  of  Neptune  (Met.  6.  115  ff.),  Ovid  states 
that  Melantho  was  thus  won.  For  Spenser's  authority  in  referring 
to  Melantho  as  the  daughter  of  Deucalion,  see  Tzet.  Lye.  208. 

In  the  second  passage,  which  refers  to  Deucalion  and  Pyrrha 
as  casting  stones  behind  their  backs,  Spenser  follows  Met.  1. 
399  ff. 

DIANA. 

The  sister  of  Apollo,  whom  the  Greeks  knew  as  Artemis,  is 
designated  by  Spenser  under  the  names  of  Cynthia,  Diana,  and 
Phoebe. 

As  Apollo  was  the  god  of  the  sun,  she  was  the  corresponding 
divinity  of  the  moon.  As  Apollo  was  called  Cynthius,  on  account 


48  SPENSER  'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

of  his  birth  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Cynthus,  on  the  isle  of  Delos,  so 
Diana  was  known  as  Cynthia  for  the  same  reason  (compare 
F.  Q.  7.  7.  50  with  Hyg.  Fab.  140)  ;  as  he  was  Phoebus,  she  was 
known  as  Phoebe ;  and  under  these  two  names,  Cynthia  and 
Phoebe,  Spenser  often  refers  to  her  as  the  goddess  of  the  moon. 

In  some  instances  he  employs  one  of  the  names  for  the  moon 
itself,  as  "When  Phcebe  shineth  bright"  (S.  C.  June  31 ;  Pro. 
121)  ;  but  oftener  he  speaks  of  her  "  silver  beams,"  "silver  rays," 
"silver  deaw,"  "silver  face,"  or  "silver  bed."  (See  F.  Q.  1.  1. 
39;  1.  7.  34;  2.  1.  53;  2.  2.  44;  3.  1.  43;  4.  5.  14;  7.  6.  21; 
S.  C.  Apr.  65  ;  Apr.  82  ;  June  31  ;  Aug.  89  ;  Dec.  84  ;  Co.  Cl.  342  ; 
Ep.  149.) 

Perhaps  the  most  beautiful  of  the  passages  referring  to  the 
moon-goddess  is  that  in  which  Mutability  is  described  as  climbing 
to  the  circle  of  the  Moon  (F.  Q.  7.  6.  8  ff.). 

Cynthia's  place  had  been  assigned  to  her  by  Jove,  whose 
"dearest  darling"  Spenser  elsewhere  calls  her  (F.  Q.  7.  7.  50). 
This  is  Spenser's  only  reference  to  the  parentage  of  Cynthia. 
With  this  compare  Hyg.  Fab.  140. 

There  are  numerous  passages  in  the  ancients  which  might  be 
quoted  to  support  this  designation  of  Diana  as  the  divinity  of  the 
moon;  among  them  Met.  1.  11:  "Nee  nova  crescendo  reparabat 
corona  Phcebe ;  "  and  ^En.  10.  216. 

But  Diana  is  not  only  the  moon-goddess ;  she  is  also  the  god- 
dess of  the  chase ;  and  as  such,  armed  with  her  bow  and  arrows 
(F.  Q.  1.  6.  16),  and  surrounded  by  her  nymphs  in  shady  woods 
(F.  Q.  1.7.  5;  1.  12.  7  ;  3.  6.  16 ;  7.  6.  38),  we  frequently  meet 
her  upon  the  pages  of  Spenser.  It  is  in  this  capacity,  as  "  queen 
of  archery,"  that  she  is  celebrated  in  the  Horn.  Hymn  to  Diana. 
In  the  Iliad  (21.  470)  she  is  described  as  "the  queen  of  wild 
beasts,  huntress  Artemis."  Ovid  (Fast.  2.  155)  calls  her  "  jacu- 
latrix,"  and  pictures  her  in  the  woods,  resting  from  the  chase, 
with  her  nymphs.  Virgil  (JEn.  1.  498  ff.)  compares  Dido,  ad- 
vancing to  the  temple,  attended  by  her  retinue  of  youths,  to 
Diana,  in  these  words :  "  As  on  the  banks  of  Eurotas  or  over 
the  ridges  of  Cynthus,  Diana  leads  her  dances,  a  thousand  moun- 
tain-nymphs follow  her  and  throng  around ;  she  wears  her  quiver 
on  her  shoulder,  and  as  she  steps  along  o'ertops  all  the  god- 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  49 

desses ;  Latona's  heart  with  silent  joy  rebounds."  With  this 
passage  compare  F.  Q.  2.  3.  31. 

As  the  friend  of  the  huntsman  Hippolytus,  Diana  appears  in 
F.  Q.  1.  5.  39  and  5.  8.  43.  For  this  see  Hippolytus. 

As  "  queen  of  archery,"  delighting  in  the  hardy  sports  of  the 
chase,  Diana  scorns  the  gentler  joys  of  love.  Thus  she  is  the 
champion  of  virginity  in  F.  Q.  2.  2.  8,  transforming  a  nymph  into 
a  stone  to  save  her  from  the  advances  of  Faunus.  This  incident 
was  probably  suggested  by  Diana's  transformation  of  Arethusa  to 
a  fountain  to  save  her  from  the  love  of  Alpheus  (Met.  5.  618 
ff.),  or  by  the  metamorphosis  of  Daphne  to  a  laurel  (Met.  1. 
548). 

Thus,  averse  to  love  and  under  the  vow  of  virginity,  Diana 
is  out  of  all  harmony  with  Venus,  the  goddess  of  love,  and  her 
son,  the  sportive  Cupid.  The  contrasting  pleasures  of  the  two 
are  thus  summed  up  by  Spenser :  — 

As  you  [Diana],  in  woods  and  wanton  wildernesse 
Your  glory  sett  to  chace  the  salvage  beasts, 
So  my  [Venus']  delight  is  all  in  joyfulnesse, 
In  beds,  in  bowres,  in  banckets,  and  in  feasts. 

F.  Q.  3.  6.  22. 

These  words  are  spoken  by  Venus,  who,  in  search  of  Cupid, 
has  strayed  into  the  woods  of  Diana,  and  surprised  the  virgin  god- 
dess in  disarray  —  a  situation  evidently  suggested  by  the  story  of 
Actseon  (Met.  3.  131  ff.).  "Whiles  all  her  Nymphes  did  like  a 
girlond  her  disclose,"  is  but  a  paraphrase  of  "  circumfusseque 
Dianam  Coporibus  texere  suis  "  (line  180).  This  same  intrusion 
of  Actseon  furnished  the  basis  for  the  myth  concerning  Faunus, 
which  Spenser  constructs  in  F.  Q.  7.  6.  37  ff.  That  he  had  this 
in  mind  is  shown  by  the  lines :  — 

And  eft  him  placed  where  he  close  might  view 
That  never  any  saw,  save  onely  one, 
"Who,  for  his  hire  to  so  foole-hardy  dew, 
"Was  of  his  hounds  devour'd  in  Hunter's  hew. 

In  Epigram  2,  Diana,  in  the  course  of  her  chase,  comes  upon 
Cupid  asleep,  and  exchanges  arms  with  him.  See  Cupid. 

But  even  Cynthia  became  a  victim  of  the  archer-god.     The 


50  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

story  of  Endymion,  the  Latmian  shepherd,  which  has  ever  been  a 
favorite  with  the  poets,  is  referred  to  in  S.  C.  July  63  and  Ep. 
374.  With  these  passages  compare  Theocritus,  Idyl  20. 

In  Ep.  374  Spenser  says  that  the  Latmian  shepherd  won  the 
affections  of  Cynthia  by  presenting  her  with  "  a  fleece  of  wool." 
But  Virgil  (Georg.  3.  391)  says  that  it  was  Pan  who  did  this. 

For  Diana's  part  in  the  death  of  Orion  (F.  Q.  7.  7.  39),  see 
Orion. 

DICE.  — F.  Q.  5.  9.  32.    See  Litse. 
DODONTAN  (Tree).  — V.  B.  5.  1.    See  Jove. 
DOLON.  — V.  G.  67.  8. 

"  Colon's  subtile  surprysall "  is  explained  by  //.  10.  314  ff. 
Setting  out  from  the  Trojan  camp  as  a  spy,  he  was  waylaid  by 
Ulysses  and  Diomedes,  and  killed. 

DORIS.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  48. 

Among  those  who  came  to  the  wedding  of  the  Medway  and 
the  Thames  was  "  the  gray-eyde  Doris,"  the  daughter  of  Ocean, 
the  wife  of  Nereus,  and  the  mother  of  the  fifty  Nereids,  who 
attended  her.  For  Spenser's  authority  on  this  point  see  Theog. 
240  ff. 

DORIS.  — F.  q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
DOTO.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  48.    See  Nereids. 
DRYOPE.  — F.  Q.  1.  6.  15. 

This  nymph,  here  mentioned  as  the  wife  of  Silvanus,  is  evi- 
dently the  same  as  the  one  of  JEn.  10.  551,  who  is  said  to  be  the 
wife  of  Faunus.  This  discrepancy  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  the 
similarity  between  the  rustic  divinities,  Silvanus  and  Faunus  — 
a  similarity  which  often  led  to  their  identification  by  the  classical 
authors. 

DYNAMENE.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
ECHIDNA. -F.  Q.  5.  10.  10;  6.  11.  23;   6.  6.  10  ff. 

The  last  of  these  references  begins  thus  :  — 

Echidna  is  a  Monster  direfull  dred, 

Whom  Gods  doe  hate,  and  heavens  abhor  to  see. 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  51 

She  is  further  described  as  of  hideous  shape  and  huge  head, 
—  a  combination  of  maiden  and  dragon.  On  account  of  her 
dreadful  aspect,  she  is  condemned  by  the  gods  to  live  in  obscurity 
with  the  blustering  Typhaon,  among  rocks  and  caves.  By  him 
she  is  the  mother  of  a  hellish  dog,  "  that  hight  the  Blatant 
Beast." 

These  details  correspond  closely  to  those  given  by  Hesiod 
(Theog.  295  ff.).  He  says  that  Echidna  and  Typhaon  were  the 
parents  of  various  monsters,  among  them  Orthrus,  the  dog  of 
Geryon.  This,  of  course,  served  as  a  suggestion  to  our  poet  for 
making  them  the  parents  of  the  Blatant  Beast.  Elsewhere  (F. 
Q.  5.  10.  10)  Spenser  says  that  Echidna  and  Typhaon  were  the 
parents  of  Orthrus. 

EIONE.—  F.  Q.  4.  11.  60.    See  Nereids. 
EIRENE.—  F.  Q.  6.  9.  82.    See  Litae. 

ELYSIAN  FIELDS.  -  F.  Q.  4.  10.  23;  S.  C.  NOT.  179;   B.  T.  332;   V.  G. 
63. 

E.  K.  says  in  the  Glosse  on  S.  C.  Nov.  179  :  "  Elysian 
fields,  be  devised  of  Poetes  to  be  a  place  of  pleasure  like  Para- 
dise, where  the  happy  soules  doe  rest  in  peace  and  eternal  happy- 
nesse."  In  the  other  passages  also  the  Elysian  Fields  are  referred 
to  as  the  "  abode  of  the  blessed."  Compare  with  these  jEn.  6. 
638  ff.,  747,  where  the  Elysian  Fields  are  described  as  regions 
of  joy,  possessed  by  the  happy  few. 

ENCELADUS.—  F.  Q.  3.  9.  22.    See  Bellona. 
ENDORE.-F.  Q.  4.  11.  48.    See  Nereids. 
EPHIALTES.  —  V.  G.  47. 

Otus,  who  is  here  mentioned  in  close  connection,  and  Ephi- 
altes,  were  known  as  the  Aloidae,  and  were  giants  of  huge  bulk. 

In  their  presumption  they  dared  attempt  to  invade  heaven 
itself  by  piling  Ossa  on  Olympus,  and  Pelion  upon  Ossa ;  but 
before  they  accomplished  their  end,  Apollo  killed  them  with 
his  shafts.  Thus  Homer  relates  their  death  (Od.  11.  305  ff.), 
though  Apollodorus  and  others  account  for  it  in  another  way. 
Hyginus  (Fab.  28)  adds  that  afterwards,  in  the  Lower  World, 
these  giant  brothers,  placed  back  to  back,  were  bound  with  ser- 


S52  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

penis  to  a  column,  —  a  slightly  different  situation  from  that  de- 
scribed in  the  passage  under  consideration. 

A  corrupt  text  of  F.  G.  would  account  for  the  unauthorized 
statement  that  these  brothers  attempted  to  burn  the  world :  some 
texts  here  read  "  incendere  "  instead  of  "  rescindere,"  which  is 
more  in  keeping  with  classical  tradition. 

ERATO — V.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 

EREBUS. 

-ETERNITIE 

HEREBUS    (M.  NIGHT) 

I 

PHLEGETHON 

F.   Q.  2.  4.  41 ;  3.  4.  55. 

Eternity  seems  to  be  the  same  as  the  Chaos  of  Hesiod  (Theog. 
123),  whence  all  things  proceeded.  Among  the  offspring  of  Chaos, 
Hesiod  mentions  Erebus  and  his  sister  Night  —  Erebus  being  a 
personification  of  darkness.  Spenser  further  follows  Hesiod  in 
making  Erebus  the  husband  of  Night.  While  Hesiod  calls  only 
the  Sky  and  Day  the  children  of  this  union,  later  writers  —  such 
as  Hyginus,  in  the  preface  to  his  fables  —  multiply  their  offspring, 
among  whom  Styx  is  mentioned.  Thus  Spenser  is  following  the 
spirit,  if  not  the  letter,  of  classical  mythology  in  calling  Erebus 
and  Night  the  parents  of  Phlegethon,  another  river  of  the  Lower 
World. 

In  F.  Q.  3.  4.  55  and  F.  G.  40,  Erebus  is  used  without  per- 
sonification, also,  as  the  abode  of  Night,  the  region  of  darkness. 
Compare  jEn.  6.  247,  404  and  Met.  10.  76,  where  it  signifies  the 
Infernal  Regions. 

ERICHTHONIAN   (tower). -V.  G.  71. 

\ 

This  is  Pergamum,  the  Trojan  citadel,  put  by  synecdoche 
for  Troy  itself.  Erichthonius,  for  whom  it  is  called,  was  a  son 
of  Dardanus,  the  ancestor  of  the  Trojans.  After  the  death  of  his 
brother  Ilus,  he  ruled  the  kingdom.  (See  Apoll.  3.  12.  2.) 

ERIGONE.-F.  Q.  3.  11.  43. 

Spenser  says  that  for  love  of  Erigone,  Saturn  transformed 
himself  to  a  centaur ;  and,  in  the  same  connection,  that  Liber 
(Bacchus)  won  Philyra  in  the  form  of  a  fruitful  vine.  By  com- 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  53 

parison  with  Met.  6.  125,  126,  we  find  that  Spenser  has  turned 
the  names  around,  and  that  it  was  Liber  who  won  Erigone,  while 
Saturn  deceived  her  who  became  by  him  the  mother  of  the  two- 
formed  Chiron.  Though  Ovid  does  not  give  her  name,  we  know 
from  Apoll.  1.  2.  4  and  Ap.  Rh.  2.  1241  that  it  was  Philyra. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  in  this  connection  that  in  F.  Q.  7.  7.  40 
(which  forms  a  part  of  the  description  of  the  procession  of 
months),  November  is  represented  as  riding  upon  "a  dreadfull 
centaure  .  .  .  the  seed  of  Saturn  and  of  f  aire  Nais,  Chiron  hight." 
This  seeming  discrepancy  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  Spenser 
here  employs  Nais  (a  Greek  generic  noun,  meaning  water-nymph) 
as  a  proper  name  to  denote  Philyra,  a  usage  which  may  have 
been  suggested  by  Ap.  Rh.  4.  813,  where  Philyra  is  referred  to 
as  a  Naiad.  See  also  Schol.  Ap.  Rh.  813. 

ERINNYS.  — F.  Q.  2.  2.  29;  V.  G.  60. 

The  adjective  "  fell "  is  well  applied  to  Erinnys,  originally 
the  personification  of  persecuting  anger.  A  plurality  of  such 
personifications  were  known  as  the  Erinnyes,  Eumenides,  Furiae, 
or  Dirse.  With  earlier  writers  their  number  is  not  limited,  but 
later  writers  say  they  are  three  in  number  (^En.  12.  845  ff.). 

In  the  passage  before  us,  Spenser  represents  Erinnys  as  the 
personification  of  discord  rather  than  as  an  unrelenting  curse, 
the  classical  conception  (II.  9.  571 ;  Met.  1.  241). 

ERYX.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  14.    See  Sea-Gods. 
ETJAGORE.—  F.  Q.  4.  11.  60.    See  Nereids. 
EUARNA.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  51.    See  Nereids. 
EUCRATE.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  48.    See  Nereids. 
EUUMENE.—  F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
EUNICA.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
ETJNOMIA.  — F.  Q.  6.  9.  32.    See  Litse. 
EUPHEMUS.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  14.    See  Sea-Gods. 
EUPHROSYNE.  —  F.  Q.  6.  10.  22.    See  Graces. 
EUPOMPE.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  61.    See  Nereids. 


54  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

EUROPA — F.  q.  3.  11.  30;  5.  Int.  6;  7.  7.  33;  Mui.  278. 

With  the  references  to  the  seduction  of  Europa  by  Jove, 
in  the  form  of  a  bull,  compare  Met.  6.  103 ;  2.  833  ;  Moschus, 
Europa;  Apoll.  3.  1.  1.  For  the  presence  of  this  bull  among  the 
constellations  (5.  Int.  5),  see  Hyg.  Poet.  Astron.  2.  Taurus. 

EURYDICE.  — B.  T.  391;  V.  G.  65;  68. 

These  passages  pertain  to  the  disappearance  of  Eurydice  and 
her  futile  rescue  by  Orpheus,  for  which  see  Orpheus. 
Daph.  463  ff.,  reads  :  — 

But,  as  the  mother  of  the  Gods,  that  sought 
For  faire  Eurydice,  her  daughter  deere, 
Throughout  the  world,  with  wofull  heavy  thought; 

The  classics  furnish  no  authority  for  making  Eurydice  the 
daughter  of  the  mother  of  the  Gods ;  nor  for  the  statement  that 
Eurydice,  upon  her  disappearance,  was  sought  far  and  wide  by 
her  mother.  Thus  we  have  here  another  deviation  from  classical 
mythology :  our  poet  seems  to  have  had  in  mind  the  story  of 
Ceres  and  Proserpina.  Since,  however,  Cybele,  who  was  usually 
called  the  mother  of  the  gods,  and  Ceres  (Demeter)  were  often 
identified  by  the  ancients,  Spenser  simply  errs  in  the  name  of 
the  daughter,  putting  Eurydice  for  Proserpina.  See  also  S.  C. 
Oct.  29. 

EURYNOME.  —  F.  Q.  6.  10.  22.    See  Graces. 
EURYPULUS.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  14.    See  Sea-Gods. 

EURYTION.-F.  Q.  6.  10.  10. 

From  this  passage  we  learn  that  Eurytion  was  the  cowherd 
of  the  giant  Geryon  —  a  statement  confirmed  by  Apoll.  2.  5.  10. 
See  Geryon. 

EURYTTJS — F.  Q.  4.  11.  14.    See  Sea-Gods. 

PATES. 

Spenser  says  that  the  dwelling  of  the  Fates  is  in  Chaos 
(F.  Q.  4.  2.  47).  He  names  three  sisters,  —  Clotho,  Lachesis, 
and  Atropos,  —  and  represents  the  first  as  holding  the  distaff, 


SPENSER  'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  55 

the  second  as  spinning  out  the  thread,  and  the  third  as  cutting  it 
in  two. 

For  his  conception  of  the  abode  of  the  Fates,  our  poet  is 
indebted  to  the  classical  idea  of  their  parentage.  According  to 
Hesiod  (Theog.  217),  they  are  the  daughters  of  Night,  whose 
parent  was  Chaos ;  or,  according  to  Cic.  De  Nat.  Dear.  3.  44,  of 
Erebus  and  Night. 

In  regard  to  the  picture  which  Spenser  draws  of  the  Fates, 
intent  upon  their  all-important  work  —  one  familiar  to  us  in  art 
as  well  as  literature  —  we  cannot  do  better  than  quote  from 
E.  K. :  "  The  fatall  sisters,  Clotho,  Lachesis,  and  Atropos,  daugh- 
ters of  Herebus  and  the  Nighte,  whom  the  Poetes  fayne  to 
spinne  the  life  of  man,  as  it  were  a  long  threde,  which  they 
drawe  out  in  length,  till  his  fatal  houre  and  timely  death  be 
come ;  but  if  by  other  casualtie  his  dayes  be  abridged,  then 
one  of  them,  that  is,  Atropos,  is  sayde  to  have  cut  the  threde 
in  twain.  Hereof  commeth  a  common  verse,  '  Clotho  colum 
bajulat,  Lachesis  trahit,  Atropos  occat.'  "  —  Note  on  S.  C.  Nov. 
148.  The  quotation  with  which  this  note  closes  is  in  Anth. 
Lot.  792. 

For  the  boasted  superiority  of  the  Fates  over  gods  and  men 
(F.  Q.  4.  2.  51),  see  Jove. 

The  awakening  of  Cupid  from  Chaos  (H.  L.  63)  is  said  to  be 
at  the  hands  of  Clotho.  See  Cupid. 

FAUNUS.— F.  Q.  2.  2.  7  ;    7.  6.  42. 

For  the  sources  of  both  these  references  see  Diana. 

FLORA.  —  P.  Q.  1.  1.  48 ;  1.  4.  17  ;  2.  12.  50 ;  S.  C.  March  16 ;  May  81. 

"  Flora,  the  Goddesse  of  flowres,  but  indede  (as  saith  Taci- 
tus) a  famous  harlot,  which,  with  the  abuse  of  her  body  having 
gotten  great  riches,  made  the  people  of  Rome  her  heyre  :  who,  in 
remembraunce  of  so  great  beneficence,  appointed  a  yearley  feste 
for  the  memoriall  of  her,  calling  her,  not  as  she  was,  or  as  some 
doe  think,  Andronica,  but  Flora ;  making  her  the  Goddesse  of 
floures,  and  doing  yerely  to  her  solemne  sacrifice."  —  Note  by  E. 
K.  on  S.  C.  March  16.  See  also  Chloris. 


56  SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

FOUNDERS  OF  NATIONS.  -F.  Q.  4.  11.  16.  ff. 

Following  upon  the  list  of  Sea-Gods  is  a  list  of  others  who 
were  also  sons  of  Neptune,  but  with  the  distinction  that  they 
were  also  the  founders  of  powerful  nations  :  — 

Ogyges.  —  "  Ancient  Ogyges,  even  th'  auncientest."  Ac- 
cording to  Tzet.  Lye.  1206,  he  was  a  son  of  Poseidon.  He  was 
the  first  ruler  of  Thebes,  and  Boeotia  was  called,  after  him,  Ogy- 
gia  (Strab.  9.  2.  18).  Spenser  appropriately  lays  the  stress 
upon  his  great  age,  since  the  Greek  adjective  iyvyios  means  "  pri- 
meval." 

Inachus  "  renowmd  above  the  rest."  According  to  Apoll. 
2.  1.  1  he  was  a  river-god  and  son  of  Oceanus.  He  was  the 
founder  of  Argos.  See  Inachus. 

Phcenix.  —  A  son  of  Agenor,  —  and  therefore  grandson  of 
Neptune.  He  founded  Phoenicia.  (Apoll.  3.  1.  1.) 

Aon.  —  A  son  of  Neptune,  from  whom  Bceotia  derived  its 
name  Aonia.  See  Stat.  Theb.  1.  34  ;  Paus.  9.  5.  1. 

Pelasgus  "  old."  Apollodorus  (2.  1.  1)  says  that,  according 
to  Acusilaus,  Pelasgus  was  identical  with  Argus,  who  was  a 
descendant  of  Ocean  and  Tethys,  and  that  from  him  the  name 
Pelasgia  was  given  to  the  Peloponnesus ;  and  others  mention  him 
as  the  ancestor  of  the  Pelasgians,  the  earliest  inhabitants  of 
Greece. 

Belus  "  great."  According  to  Diod.  Sic.  1.  28.  1,  he  was 
a  son  of  Neptune  and  founder  of  Babylon. 

Phceax  (Phaeax),  a  son  of  Neptune  and  progenitor  of  the 
Phseacians,  the  early  inhabitants  of  Corcyra.  (Diod.  Sic.  4. 
72.  3.) 

Agenor  "  best,"  son  of  Neptune  and  founder  of  a  kingdom 
(Sidon)  in  Phoenicia.  (Apoll.  2.  1.  4.)  There  seems  to  be  no 
particular  reason  for  calling  him  "  best." 

Albion. 

And  mightie  Albion,  father  of  the  bold 

And  warlike  people  which  the  Britaine  Islands  hold. 

Spenser  is  indebted  to  Holinshed's  History  of  England  (1.  3)  for 
this  story.     See  Hercules. 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  57 

GALATEA.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
GALENE.—  F.  Q.  4.  11.  48.    See  Nereids. 
GERYON. -F.  Q.  5.  10.  9. 

Spenser  describes  Geryon  as  a  giant,  with  "  three  bodies 
powre  in  one  combynd,"  who  ruled  Spain  with  great  oppression. 
lie  further  speaks  of  his  purple  kine,  his  cowherd  Eurytion,  and 
Orthrus,  the  dog  that  watched  these  cattle,  and  closes  with  the 
statement  that  all  were  overcome  by  Hercules.  See  Hercules. 

In  saying  that  Geryon  fed  these  oxen  with  the  flesh  of  human 
beings,  Spenser  follows  Natalis  Conies  rather  than  any  classical 
authority. 

GLAUCE.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  48.    See  Nereids. 
GLAUCONOME.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  50.    See  Nereids. 
GLAUCUS.  — F.  q.  4.  11.  13.    See  Sea-Gods. 
GORGON.  — F.  Q.  1.  1.  37.    See  Dsemogorgon. 
GORGONIAN   (shield).  —  F.  Q.  3.  9.  22.    See  JEigide  (shield). 
GRACES.  — F.  Q.  6.  10.  21. 

The  ancients  by  no  means  agree  as  to  the  number,  names, 
and  parentage  of  the  Graces.  In  order  to  show  this,  we  cannot 
do  better  than  quote  from  the  Greece  of  Pausanias  (9.  35).  He 
says :  "  The  Boeotians,  too,  say  that  Eteocles  was  the  first  that 
sacrificed  to  the  Graces.  And,  indeed,  that  he  established  three 
Graces  they  are  well  convinced,  but  they  have  lost  the  remem- 
brance of  the  names  which  he  gave  them.  For  the  Lacedaemo- 
nians only  worship  two  Graces,  the  statues  of  which,  they  say, 
were  dedicated  by  Lacedsemon,  the  son  of  Taygete,  who  also  gave 
them  the  names  of  Cleta  and  Phaenna.  These  names,  indeed,  are 
very  properly  given  to  the  Graces,  as  likewise  are  those  names 
which  are  assigned  to  the  Graces  by  the  Athenians,  for  the 
Athenians  have  from  ancient  times  venerated  the  Graces,  Auxo 
and  Hegemone.  Indeed  we  now  pray  to  three  Graces,  having 
learnt  there  are  three  from  the  Orchomenian  Eteocles.  And  at 
Athens,  in  the  vestibule  of  the  tower,  there  are  three  Graces 
whose  mysteries,  which  are  kept  secret  from  the  multitude,  are 
celebrated. 


58  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

"  But  Pamphus  is  the  first  we  are  acquainted  with  that  cele- 
brated the  Graces  in  verse ;  but  he  neither  mentions  their  number 
nor  their  names.  Homer,  too,  makes  mention  of  the  Graces,  and 
says  that  one  of  these  is  the  wife  of  Vulcan,  and  that  her  name  is 
Charis.  He  also  says  that  Sleep  is  the  lover  of  the  Grace  Pasithea, 
and  in  the  speech  of  Sleep  he  has  the  following  verse  :  — 

That  she  my  loved  one  shall  be  ever  mine, 
The  youngest  Grace,  Pasithea  the  divine. 

Hence  some  have  suspected  that  Homer  knew  of  other  more 
ancient  Graces. 

"But  Hesiod  in  his  Theogony  says  that  the  Graces  are  the 
daughters  of  Jupiter  and  Eurynorne,  and  that  their  names  are 
Aglaia,  Thalia,  and  Euphrosyne. 

"  But  Antimachus  neither  mentions  the  number  nor  the 
names  of  the  Graces,  but  only  says  they  are  the  daughters  of 
Aigle  and  the  Sun." 

In  the  passage  under  consideration,  then,  we  see  that  Spenser 
follows  Hesiod  (Theog.  907  ff.)  in  the  number,  name,  and  par- 
entage of  the  Graces.  In  T.  M.  403,  however,  he  says  that  they 
are  the  offspring  of  Venus  :  this  is  but  a  slight  exaggeration  of 
the  conception  which  made  the  Graces  the  special  attendants 
of  Venus,  as  in  this  passage,  and  F.  Q.  6.  10.  9;  6.  10.  15;  6.  10. 
21 ;  Ep.  108.  Very  numerous  are  the  passages  in  the  classics 
that  might  be  quoted  as  pictures  of  Venus  attended  by  the 
Graces  :  in  the  Horn.  Hymn  to  Venus, 

The  ready  Graces  wait,  her  baths  prepare, 
And  oint  with  fragrant  oils  her  flowing  hair. 

See  also  Od.  8.  364;  Hor.  Carm.  1.  4  ;  1.  30;  3.  21 ;  4.  7. 

The  exposition  which  Spenser  gives  of  the  function  of  the 
Graces  and  the  description  and  explanation  of  the  usual  repre- 
sentations of  these  sisters  find  appropriate  comment  in  a  note  by 
E.  K.  on  S.  C.  Apr.  109 :  — 

"  The  Graces  be  three  sisters,  the  daughters  of  Jupiter,  (whose 
names  are  Aglaia,  Thalia,  Euphrosyne  ;  and  Homer  onley  added  a 
fourth,  s.  Pasithea)  otherwise  called  Charites,  that  is,  thankes  : 
whom  the  Poetes  feyned  to  be  the  Goddesses  of  all  bountie  and 


SPENSER  »S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  59 

comelines,  which  therefore  (as  sayth  Theodontius)  they  make 
three,  to  wete,  that  men  first  ought  to  be  gracious  and  bountifull 
to  other  freely;  then  to  receive  benefits  at  other  mens  hands 
courteously ;  and  thirdly,  to  requite  them  thankfully ;  which  are 
three  sundry  Actions  in  liberalitye.  And  Boccace  saith,  that 
they  be  painted  naked  (as  they  were  indeed  on  the  tombe  of  C. 
Julius  Caesar)  the  one  having  her  back  toward  us,  and  her  face 
fromwarde,  as  proceeding  from  us  ;  the  other  two  toward  us, 
noting  double  thanke  to  be  due  to  us  for  the  benefit  we  have 
done."  See  also  Seneca,  De  Benef.  1.  3,  for  a  lengthy  discussion 
upon  the  Graces. 

The  indefinite  number  of  Graces,  of  which  the  poet  writes  in 
6.  10.  21,  is  also  corroborated  by  classical  authority.  Thus  E.  K. 
says : — 

"  Many  Graces,  though  there  be  indeede  but  three  Graces  or 
Charites  (as  afore  is  sayd)  or  at  the  utmost  but  foure,  yet,  in 
respect  of  many  gyftes  of  bounty  there  may  be  sayde  more.  And 
so  Musaeus  sayth,  that  in  Heroes  eyther  eye  there  sat  a  hundred 
Graces.  And,  by  that  authoritye,  thys  same  Poete,  in  his  Pa- 
geaunts,  saith  '  An  hundred  Graces  on  her  eyelidde  sate,'  etc."  — 
Note  on  S.  C.  June  25. 

HEBE.  — B.  T.  384;  H.  L.  283;  Ep.  405. 

The  first  two  of  these  passages  refer  to  Hebe  as  the  wife 
of  Hercules,  after  the  apotheosis  of  the  latter.  In  other  words, 
after  the  earthly  life  of  labor  which  Hercules  led,  he  is  borne 
to  Heaven,  and,  in  recognition  of  his  glorious  deeds,  eternal  youth 
(for  Hebe  is  the  personification  of  youth)  is  conferred  upon  him. 
See  Theog.  950  ff.  ;  Od.  11.  603 ;  Apoll.  2.7.7;  Horn.  Hymn  to 
Hercules. 

In  Ep.  405,  Hebe  is  invoked  for  offspring  along  with  Hymen. 

HECATE. -F.  Q.  1.  1.  43;  7.  6.  3. 

In  the  latter  passage  Hecate  is  mentioned  as  one  of  the 
Titans  (see  Titans),  who  by  special  favor  of  Jove,  after  the  fall 
of  the  Titans,  retained  all  rule  and  principality.  For  her  exten- 
sive power  over  gods  and  men,  to  which  Spenser  here  alludes,  see 
the  lengthy  tribute  paid  to  Hecate  by  Hesiod  (TJieog.  411  ff.). 
But  we  must  look  elsewhere  for  the  source  of  the  first  reference, 


60  SPENSER  'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

where  the  name  of  Hecate  is  called  "  dreaded,"  implying  that  she 
was  an  infernal  divinity ;  for  while  Hesiod  and  other  earlier  wri- 
ters attribute  to  her  all  power  over  heaven,  earth,  and  sea,  they 
do  not  mention  her  in  connection  with  the  Lower  World.  We 
must  turn  to  later  writers  for  this  conception.  Thus  Virgil  (Mn. 
6.  247)  declares  that  the  power  of  Hecate  extends  over  both 
heaven  and  hell.  She  was  regarded  as  a  being  of  grewsome 
aspect,  practiced  in  sorcery  and  witchcraft.  Thus  it  will  be  re- 
membered that  it  was  to  Hecate  that  Medea  owed  her  skill  in 
magic  charms  (see  Ap.  Rh.  3.  passim). 

HECTOR.  —  F.  Q.  2.  9.  46;  V.  G.  63;  66;  66;  B.  B.  14. 

The  first  of  the  passages  refers  to  the  fate  of  Astyanax,  the 
child  of  Hector.  After  the  capture  of  Troy  he  was  hurled  from 
the  tower  of  Ilium  by  the  Greeks.  See  Met.  13.  415  ff . ;  Hyg. 
Fab.  109.  For  the  other  references,  see  Achilles  and  JEJacides. 

HELEN. 

As  the  prize  bestowed  upon  Paris  for  his  judgment  in  regard 
to  the  beauty  of  Venus,  and  as  the  consequent  cause  of  the  Trojan 
War,  Helen  is  referred  to  in  F.  Q.  2.  7.  55;  3.  9.  35;  4.  11.  19. 
See  Venus  and  Nereus. 

The  last  of  these  passages  referj3k>  her  as  the  Tindarid  lass 
—  that  is,  the  daughter  of  Tyndareus.  Compare  JEn.  2.  601; 
Met.  15.  23. 

In  F.  Q.  3.  10.  12  Spenser  represents  Helen  as  overjoyed  at 
the  sight  of  Troy  in  flames.  This  seems  to  have  been  suggested 
by  the  story  of  Deiphobus  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  Helen  on 
the  night  that  the  Greeks  entered  Troy  (JEn.  6.  517)  :  "  She,  in 
feigned  religious  dance,  led  around  the  city  the  Phrygian  women, 
raising  the  bacchanal  cry ;  she  herself  in  their  midst  held  a 
mighty  firebrand,  and  called  in  the  Greeks  from  the  height  of  the 
citadel." 

The  incident  referred  to  in  Co.  Cl.  920  is  related  of  the  poet 
Stesichorus :  he  was  said  to  have  written  an  attack  upon  Helen, 
and  in  consequence  to  have  been  struck  with  blindness,  only 
recovering  his  sight  after  he  had  atoned  for  his  fault  by  a  re- 
cantation, beginning :  "  False  is  that  word  of  mine."  See  Plat. 
Phced. 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  61 

HELLE. —  F.  Q.  3.  11.  30;  5.  Int.  5. 

The  familiar  myth  which  represents  Phrixus  and  Helle  es- 
caping upon  a  "  golden  fleecy  ram  "  from  the  cruelty  of  their 
step-mother,  Ino,  is  touched  upon  in  both  these  passages,  the  first 
of  which  declares  that  this  ram  was  Jove  in  disguise,  who  thus 
deceived  Helle.  This  seems  at  first  an  unwarranted  perversion 
of  the  usual  myth,  which  states  that  the  ram,  the  offspring  of 
Neptune  and  Theophane,  was  brought  to  Phrixus  and  Helle  by 
their  own  mother  Nephele,  in  order  that  they  might  escape  from 
the  snares  of  Ino  (see  Hyg.  Fab.  3;  188;  Apoll.  1.  9.  1);  but 
there  is  a  slight  authority  for  it  in  Ovid,  Fast.  4.  715. 

HERCULES. 

The  parentage  of  this  hero  is  referred  to  in  R.  T.  380  and 
Ep.  328.  He  was  the  son  of  Jove  and  Alcmena.  (See  Alcmena.) 

Spenser  calls  him  not  only  Hercules,  but  also  Alcides,  the 
Amphytrionide,  the  (Etean  Knight,  and  the  Tirynthian  groome.  The 
two  patronymics  are  explained  by  the  following  table  :  — 

PERSEUS 

l 

ALC.EUS 

AMPHITRYON    (STEPFATHER     OF      HERCULES) 

HERCULES 

The  epithet,  Tirynthian  groome,  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact 
that  Hercules  was  brought  up  at  Tiryns,  in  Argolis,  and  was, 
therefore,  often  called  the  Tirynthian  hero  by  the  ancient  writers. 
Thus  Servius  explains  JEn.  7.  662.  See  also  Call.  Hymn  to  Diana, 
146  ;  Paus.  10.  13.  8. 

Hercules  is  appropriately  alluded  to  as  the  (Etean  Knight, 
because  it  was  from  Mt.  (Eta  that  he  was  carried  to  heaven. 

Of  the  twelve  great  labors  which  Hercules  accomplished  for 
Eurystheus,  and  by  which  he  won  immortality,  Spenser  mentions 
six.  They  are  as  follows  :  — 

The  Nemean  Lion.  —  F.  Q.  2.  5.  31 ;  7.  7.  36;  Mni.  70  ff. 

The  Lernean  Hydra. -F.  Q.  1.  7.  17 ;  6. 12.  32;  B.  B.  10;  V.  B.  10. 

The  Mares  of  Diomedes.  — F.  Q.  5.  8.  31. 

The  Oxen  of  Geryon.  —  F.  q.  5.  10.  10. 


62  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

The  Golden  Apples  of  the  Hesperides.  —  F.  Q.  2.  7.  64;  Am.  77. 
Cerberus.  —  F.  Q.  6.  12.  35. 

It  is  probable  that  Spenser  drew  these  references  from  Apoll. 
2  or  from  Diod.  Sic.  4,  both  of  whom  relate  in  detail  all  the  twelve 
labors  of  Hercules. 

Besides  the  so-called  twelve  labors  of  Hercules,  the  ancients 
recount  subordinate  adventures  also.  Such,  for  instance,  is  the 
fight  with  the  Centaurs,  mentioned  by  Spenser  in  F.  Q.  4.  1.  23. 
While  in  quest  of  the  Erymanthian  boar,  Hercules  came  to  the 
cave  of  the  Centaur  Pholus.  There,  in  spite  of  the  protests  of 
Pholus,  he  opened  a  jar  of  wine,  and  the  neighboring  Centaurs, 
attracted  by  the  odor,  rushed  into  the  cave  ;  whereupon  the  fight 
alluded  to  took  place.  In  support  of  this  see  Apoll.  and  Diod. 
Sic.,  whose  accounts  of  this  affair  agree  in  the  main. 

A  review  of  the  labors  of  Hercules  reveals  the  fact  that  they 
were  not  confined  to  the  East.  Thus  the  conquest  of  Geryon 
took  place  in  the  island  Eurythea,  off  the  coast  of  Spain  ;  and 
while  on  this  expedition  Hercules  erected  the  pillars  referred  to 
in  Pro.  148.  (See  Apoll.  and  Diod.  Sic.) 

The  exploits  of  Hercules  in  the  West,  which  are  related  by 
Apollodorus  and  Diodorus  Siculus,  are  summed  up  by  Spenser 

thus : — 

"Who  all  the  "West  with  equall  conquest  wonne, 
And  monstrous  tyrants  with  his  club  subdewed. 

F.  Q.  5. 1.  2. 

Spenser  mentions  further  the  contest  between  Albion  of 
Britain  and  the  Celtic  Hercules  of  France  —  perhaps  a  native 
hero  who  was  identified  with  the  Greek  Hercules  (F.  Q.  2. 10.  11 ; 
4.  11.  16).  While  Spenser,  no  doubt,  took  this  particular  incident 
from  the  British  Chroniclers,  Diodorus  Siculus  gives  ample  testi- 
mony to  the  founding  of  the  Gallic  nation  by  Hercules  (5.  24.  2 
ff.). 

But  even  so  mighty  a  conqueror  as  Hercules  was  himself 
subdued  by  the  darts  of  Cupid.  F.  Q.  5.  5.  24  represents  him  as 
in  the  society  of  lole,  forgetting  war  and  delighting  "  In  combats 
of  sweet  love,"  his  huge  club  and  rough  lion's  skin  exchanged  for 
a  distaff  and  cloak  of  gold.  See  also  F.  Q.  5.  8.  2. 

This  picture  is  based  upon  classical  authority,  —  probably 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  63 

Ovid,  Her.  9,  —  but  Spenser  makes  a  mistake,  not  in  implying  the 
love  of  Hercules  for  lole  (see  Apoll.  2.7.7;  Met.  9.  140),  but  in 
saying  that  it  was  for  her  sake  that  he  led  an  effeminate  life. 
Our  poet  is  evidently  thinking  of  Omphale,  queen  of  Lydia,  with 
whom  Hercules  at  one  time  passed  several  years.  In  the  epistle 
by  Ovid,  cited  above,  Hercules'  amour  with  lole  is  mentioned  by 
Deianira  in  close  connection  with  her  reproaches  against  her  hus- 
band for  his  effeminate  life  with  Omphale  —  a  circumstance  which 
may  account  for  the  confusion  on  the  part  of  Spenser.  For  the 
affection  of  Hercules  for  Hylas  (F.  Q.  3.  12.  7;  4.  10.  27),  see 
Hylas. 

For  his  apotheosis  and  union  with  Hebe  (H.  L.  283),  see 
Hebe. 

And  on  the  other  syde  a  pleasaunt  grove 
Was  shott  up  high,  full  of  the  stately  tree 
That  dedicated  is  t'Olympick  Jove, 
And  [of  the  tree  which  was  dedicated]  to  his  sonne 
Alcides,  whenas  hee 

In  Nemus  gayned  goodly  victoree. 

F.  Q.  2.  5.  31. 

The  above  interpolation  is  necessary  to  a  proper  understand- 
ing of  this  passage ;  for  the  oak  was  sacred  only  to  Jove,  while  it 
was  the  poplar  which  was  dedicated  to  Hercules.  See  Virgil, 
Ed.  7.  61.  Spenser  makes  the  triumph  over  the  Nemean  lion 
the  immediate  cause  of  this  honor  to  Hercules  —  an  idea  which, 
so  far  as  is  known,  is  original  with  him. 

Such  are  some  of  the  points  in  the  arduous  life  of  Hercules. 
Well  might  Calliope,  the  muse  who  records  the  heroic,  exclaim 
that  she  raised  Hercules  to  heaven!  (T.  M.  461.) 

HEREBUS.  —  F.  Q.  2.  4.  41 ;  3.  4.  65 ;  V.  G.  40.    See  Erebus. 
HERMES.  — F.  Q.  7.  6.  19  ff.    See  Mercury. 

HESIONE.  — V.  G.  62. 

As  a  parallel  to  this  free  translation  of  a  much  disputed  pas- 
sage in  the  original  may  be  cited  Apoll.  2.  6.  4;  3.  12.  7  and  Met. 
11.  194  ff.,  whence  it  appears  that  Hesione  was  given  captive  to 
Telamon  by  Hercules  in  reward  for  his  valor  when  the  latter 
attacked  Troy,  and  that  she  afterwards  became  his  wife. 


64  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

HESPERUS.  — F.  Q.  1.  2.  6;   1.  7.  30;  3.  4.  51;  Ep.  96;  Pro.  164. 

The  ancients,  even  in  the  earliest  times,  regarded  Hesperus, 
the  evening-star,  as  identical  with  the  morning-star;  and  thus 
Spenser  is  quite  classical  in  employing  the  same  name  to  denote 
respectively  the  evening-star  (F.  Q.  3.  4.  51)  and  the  morning- 
star  (F.  Q.  1.  2.  6). 

Both  the  Greeks  and  the  Romans,  however,  referred  to  the 
morning-star  as  the  bringer  of  light,  calling  it  'Euxr^opo?  and  Luci- 
fer ;  and  Spenser  follows  them  when  he  describes  Hesperus  as 
"bringing  forth  dawning  light."  On  this  point  see  //.  23.  226; 
and  thus,  also,  Ovid  assigns  to  Hesperus  a  dusky  steed  and  to 
Lucifer  a  white  one.  (Compare  Fast.  2.  314 ;  5.  419  with  Fast. 
15.  189  ;  Met.  2. 115.)  See  also  Hyg.  Poet.  Astron.  2.  De  quinque 
stellis. 

The  brilliancy  of  Hesperus,  alluded  to  by  Spenser,  is  de- 
scribed by  Homer  (//.  22.  317)  as  a  brightness  surpassing  that 
of  the  other  stars  of  heaven. 

In  F.  Q.  7.  6.  9  and  V.  G.  40,  Vesper,  the  Latin  word  for 
"  evening,"  is  used  for  Hesperus,  the  evening  star.  Compare  with 
such  usage  Met.  1.  63  and  Horace,  Carm.  2.  9. 

HIPPOLYTUS.    F.  Q.  1.  5.  36  ff. 

For  convenience  in  tracing  this  myth  to  its  sources,  the  fol- 
lowing points  made  by  Spenser  may  be  enumerated :  — 

1.  Hippolytus,  a  huntsman  —  son  of  Theseus. 

2.  Sought  by   his    stepmother,  whom    he  repels,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  she  complains  of  him  to  Theseus. 

3.  Neptune,  besought  by  Theseus,  sends  two  sea-monsters, 
which  so  frighten  the  horses  of  Hippolytus,  as  he  is  driving,  that 
he  is  killed.     See  also  F.  Q.  5.  8.  43. 

4.  The  stepmother  [Phaedra],  repenting,  kills  herself  with  a 
knife. 

5.  Theseus,  upon  learning  the  innocence  of  his  son,  rends 
his  hair  and  tongue. 

6.  With  the  aid  of  Diana,  who  is  the  friend  of  Hippolytus, 
Theseus  gathers  up  the  remains  of  his  son,  and  bears  them  to 
.ZEsculapius. 

7.  .ZEsculapius  restores  Hippolytus,  and,  in  consequence,  in- 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY.  65 

curs  the  anger  of  Jove,  who  thrusts  him  down  to  hell  with  a 
thunderbolt. 

A  comparison  of  the  above  with  JEneid  7.  765  ff.,  reveals 
the  fact  that  Virgil  makes  or  hints  at  the  following  points : 
2 ;  3  (but  no  mention  of  the  number  of  sea-monsters  —  simply 
in  the  plural)  ;  6  (but  nothing  is  said  of  Theseus'  gathering  the 
remains) ;  7. 

Ovid  (Met.  15.  497  ff.)  touches  upon  1  (but  does  not  say 
Hippolytus  was  a  huntsman)  ;  2 ;  3  (but  speaks  of  one  monster 
only)  ;  6  (but  does  not  say  that  Theseus  gathered  his  bones)  ;  7 
(nothing,  however,  of  Jove's  anger  toward  ^Esculapius) . 

Ovid  (Fast.  6.  737  ff.)  mentions  1  (but  does  not  speak  of 
Hippolytus  as  a  huntsman)  ;  2 ;  3  (but  only  one  monster,  and 
nothing  of  the  appeal  of  Theseus  to  Neptune)  ;  6  (but  does  not 
say  that  Theseus  gathered  the  remains  of  Hippolytus)  ;  7. 

It  is  evident  from  these  comparisons  that  Spenser  must  have 
been  indebted  to  some  other  source,  or  his  own  inventive  powers, 
for  the  facts  that  Hippolytus  was  a  huntsman,  that  Phaedra 
stabbed  herself,  that  Theseus  tore  his  hair  and  tongue,  and  that 
he  afterwards  gathered  together  the  remains  of  Hippolytus,  and 
bore  them  to  ^sculapius. 

Turning  to  the  drama  of  Hippolytus  by  Euripides,  we  find 
that  the  youth  is  a  son  of  Theseus,  and  a  huntsman,  and  specially 
devoted  to  Diana :  — 

Artemis,  Phoebos*  sister,  child  of  Zeus, 
He  honors,  thinking  her  the  chief  of  gods; 
And  ever  in  the  greenwood  with  the  maid 
Destroys  the  beasts  with  his  fleet-footed  hounds, 
Enjoying  more  than  human  comradeship. 

Furthermore,  points  2,  3,  and  4  are  clearly  brought  out,  ex- 
cept that  only  one  monster  is  mentioned,  and  that  Phsedra  hangs 
herself,  instead  of  committing  suicide  with  a  knife.  Theseus 
learns  of  his  son's  innocence  through  Diana,  but  his  grief  finds 
vent  in  only  controlled  expressions  of  passion.  Nothing  is  said 
of  the  revival  of  Hippolytus,  who  dies  in  the  presence  of  his 
father. 

One  other  source  remains  to  be  considered  —  the  Hippolytus 
of  Seneca.  Here  are  brought  out  points  1,  2,  3  (but  one  monster 


66  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

only),  and  4.  Furthermore,  Theseus  learns  of  the  innocence  of 
Hippolytus  through  Phaedra,  whereupon  he  gives  expression  to  his 
feelings  in  long  speeches  —  not,  however,  in  the  way  Spenser  men- 
tions. But,  as  in  Euripides,  nothing  is  said  of  the  bones'  being 
gathered  up  by  Theseus,  or  of  the  revival  of  Hippolytus  by  j£s- 
culapius. 

It  would  appear  from  this  discussion,  then,  that  while  Spen- 
ser follows  Seneca  in  certain  striking  particulars,  he  is,  for  the 
rest  of  his  story,  indebted  to  the  narratives  of  either  Virgil  or 
Ovid,  and  to  his  own  fertile  imagination. 

HTPPOTHOE.  — F.  q.  4.  11.  50.    See  Nereids. 
HOURS.  — F.  Q.  7.  7.  46  ;  Ep.  99. 

These  two  passages  really  agree  in  regard  to  the  parentage  of 
the  Hours,  since  the  Jove  of  the  one  and  the  Day  of  the  other 
are  identical.  The  domain  of  Zeus  being  "  the  wide  heaven,  in 
clear  air  and  clouds  "  (II.  15.  192),  he  was  sometimes  identified 
by  the  ancients,  as  by  Spenser,  with  the  Upper  World  and  the 
light,  as  contrasted  with  the  Lower  World,  the  darkness.  See 
Jove. 

In  making  Day  and  Night  the  parents  of  the  Hours,  Spenser 
is  original.  Hesiod  (Theog.  901)  calls  them  the  daughters  of  Jove 
and  Themis,  —  Eunomie,  Dice,  and  Irene,  —  while  Homer  does 
not  mention  their  parentage  or  names.  It  is,  however,  //.  5.  749 
which  Spenser  has  in  mind  when  he  calls  the  Hours  the  porters 
of  heaven's  gate :  "...  self-moving  groaned  upon  their  hinges 
the  gates  of  heaven  whereof  the  Hours  are  warders,  to  whom  is 
committed  great  heaven  and  Olympus,  whether  to  throw  open  the 
thick  cloud  or  set  it  to."  Homer  authorizes  Spenser  also  in  mak- 
ing them  allot  the  seasons.  See  Od.  10.  469. 

HYACINTHUS.  —  F.  Q.  3.  6.  45;  3.  11.  37. 

The  untimely  fate  of  this  youth,  "  Phoebus  paramoure  And 
dearest  love,"  is  pathetically  told  by  Ovid  (Met.  10.  162  ff.). 
While  playing  at  quoits  with  the  god,  Hyacinthus  is  struck  by  a 
discus  and  killed.  Phcebus,  in  token  of  his  grief  and  remem- 
brance, causes  the  hyacinth,  an  emblem  of  mourning  with  the 
ancients,  to  spring  from  the  blood  of  this  beloved  youth. 


SPENSER1  S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  67 

In  the  second  passage  Spenser  says  that  Hyacinthus  was 
transformed  to  a  paunce,  or  pansy  —  a  statement  for  which  there 
is  no  classical  authority. 

HYDRA.— F.  Q.  6.  12.  32. 

Among  the  monstrosities  which,  according  to  Hesiod,  were 
the  offspring  of  Typhaon  and  Echidna,  was  the  Hydra.  While 
Spenser  says  that  the  Hydra  had  a  thousand  heads,  Hyginus 
(Fab.  30)  and  Apollodorus  (2.  5.  2)  say  that  there  were  nine  5 
Diodorus  Siculus,  one  hundred :  Virgil  (^En.  8.  300)  describes 
the  monster,  in  a  general  way,  as  "many-headed."  The  killing 
of  this  monster  was  the  second  labor  of  Hercules.  See  Hercules. 

HYLAS.  — F.  Q.  3.  12.  7. 

The  incident  here  referred  to  occurred  upon  the  journey  of 
the  Argonauts  to  Colchis.  Hylas  was  a  favorite  of  Hercules,  who, 
when  the  Argo  anchored  upon  the  coast  of  Mysia,  went  to  draw 
water  from  a  fountain,  into  which  he  was  himself  drawn  by  the 
nymphs,  who  had  been  charmed  by  his  beauty.  Hercules  sought 
him  in  vain,  calling  his  name  again  and  again,  but  only  the  echo 
of  it  replied.  This  echo,  which  is  often  referred  to  by  the  poets, 
is  accounted  for  by  Antoninus  Liberalis  (Hylas)  as  being  really 
Hylas  himself,  who  had  been  changed  into  an  echo  by  the 
nymphs  —  they  being  fearful  lest.  Hercules  should  discover  his 
beloved  in  their  fountain.  See  Argonautic  Expedition. 

HYLLUS.  — F.  q.  4.  10.  27. 

Spenser  doubtless  means  to  say  Hylas,  between  whom  and 
Hercules  there  was  the  closest  friendship.  See  Hylas. 

HYMEN.— F.  Q.  1.  1.  48;  V.  G.  60;  Ep.  passim. 

Hymen  was  the  god  of  marriage,  and  therefore  appropri- 
ately invoked  in  the  Epithalamion.  From  among  the  classics,  the 
Epithalamium  of  Catullus,  written  in  celebration  of  the  nuptials 
of  Manlius  and  Julia,  may  be  cited  as  an  example  :  there  Hymen 
is  called  upon  again  and  again  as  the  god  of  marriage,  and 
Spenser  imitates  the  lo  Hymen  Hymencee  in  F.  Q.  1.  1.  48  and  in 
his  Epithalamion.  The  custom  of  crowning  Hymen  with  a  gar- 
land at  marriage  festivals  is  referred  to  by  Catullus,  as  by  Spen- 
ser (Ep.  256). 


68  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY. 

HYPERION.  -  Mui.  61. 

Helios,  the  sun,  is  here  called  "  Hyperion's  fierie  childe." 
Hesiod  (Theog.  134,  371  ff.),  Apoll.  (1.  2.  2),  Diod.  Sic.  (5.  67. 
1),  may  be  quoted  as  authorities  on  this  point.  Hyperion  was 
the  child  of  Heaven  and  Earth,  and,  in  turn,  became  the  father 
of  the  Sun,  the  Moon,  and  the  Dawn-goddess.  In  V.  G.  20 
the  name  is  used  for  the  sun  itself.  Compare  Met.  8.  565 

HYPONEO.  -  P.  Q.  4.  11.  51.    See  Nereids. 

HYPSIPHYLE.—  V.  Q.  2.  10.  56.     See  Argonautic  Expedition. 
INACHUS.  — T.  M.  447. 

In  the  passage  before  us  Calliope  asks :  — 

What  oddes  twixt  Irus  and  old  Inachus, 
'Twixt  best  and  worst,  when  both  alike  are  dedd ; 
If  none  of  neither  mention  should  make, 
Nor  out  of  dust  their  memories  awake? 

The  first  of  the  two  extremes  of  society  here  cited  is  Irus, 
the  beggar  of  Ithaca,  a  characterization  of  whom  opens  the 
eighteenth  book  of  the  Odyssey. 

The  other  character,  with  whom  Irus  is  contrasted,  is  the 
celebrated  river-god  and  hero  of  Argos,  the  first  ruler  of  that 
country.  Thus  Euripides  (Elec.  1)  addresses  him  as  the  ancient 
glory  of  Argos,  and  in  Sup.  371  Argos  is  called  the  land  of 
Inachus.  See  also  JEn.  7.  286,  where  the  expression  "  Inachian 
Argos  "  occurs. 

In  writing  the  passage  in  question,  Spenser  seems  to  have 
had  in  mind  Horace,  Carm.  2.  3  :  — 

Divesne,  prisco  natus  ab  Inacho 
Nil  interest  an  pauper  et  infima 
De  gente  sub  divo  moreris, 
Victima  nil  miserantis  Orci. 

See  also  Sea-Gods. 

INO.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  13;  6.  8.  47. 

Ino  is  mentioned  as  the  mother  of  Palsemon.  She  is  further 
described  as  "  raging,"  and  engaged  in  the  act  of  throwing  her  hus- 
band's murdered  infant  out.  For  the  details  of  this  tragic  story, 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  69 

—  the  madness  of  Athamas,  the  husband  of  Ino,  and  his  pursuit 
of  Ino  to  the  brink  of  the  sea,  where  she  casts  herself  and  her 
child,  Palaemon,  into  the  waves,  —  see  Met.  4.  417  ff. ;  Fast. 
6.  528. 

IDLE.  —  F.  Q.  6.  5.  24.     See  Herculee. 

ZPHIMEDIA.  — F.  Q.  3.  11.  42. 

Neptune  became  by  her  the  father  of  Otus  and  Ephialtes. 
See  Met.  6.  115 ;  Od.  11.  305  ;  Apoll.  1.  7.  4. 

IRIS.-F.  Q.  3.  11.  47;  Mui.  93. 

Although  Iris  was  originally  the  personification  of  the  rain- 
bow itself,  and  is  sometimes  identified  with  it  in  the  ancient 
poets,  she  is  generally  considered  (as  in  Spenser)  as  having  an 
individuality  apart  from  it.  She  is  the  messenger  of  the  gods, 
particularly  of  Juno ;  and  the  rainbow  is  either  the  path  over 
which  she  glides,  or  the  varicolored  robe  in  which  she  is  clothed. 
jEn.  5.  604  ff. ;  Met.  14.  830  ff . ;  1.  271;  11.  585  ff.,  may  be 
cited  as  typical  passages  on  this  point.  For  the  parentage  of 
Iris,  see  Thaumas. 

IRUS.  —  T.  M.  447.    See  Inachus. 

ISIS.  — F.  Q.  5.  7.  3  ff. 

This  entire  passage,  which  describes  the  attributes  and  wor- 
ship of  the  Egyptian  divinities,  Isis  and  Osiris,  is  based  upon 
Plutarch's  Isis  and  Osiris.  Spenser,  however,  does  not  feel  him- 
self at  all  bound  by  the  original,  but  follows  it  at  times  afar  off. 
Thus  he  says  the  priests  wore  their  hair  long,  while  Plutarch 
says  their  heads  were  shaved.  The  interpretation  of  the  croco- 
dile, also,  which  he  gives  in  Stanza  22,  is  not  authorized  by  the 
original.  The  other  points  which  Spenser  cites,  —  the  justice  of 
Osiris  when  king  of  Egypt;  the  equity  attributed  to  Isis;  the 
linen  garb  of  the  priests  ;  the  crescent  miters ;  the  interpretation 
of  Osiris  as  the  sun,  and  Isis  as  the  moon  ;  the  continence  of 
the  priests ;  their  abstinence  from  fleshly  food ;  the  reason  why 
they  did  not  drink  wine,  —  all  these  are  consistent  with  the 
account  given  by  Plutarch. 


70  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

ISSA.  —  F.  Q.  3.  11.  39. 

Spenser  here  makes  the  statement  that  Apollo  was  in  love 
with  Issa,  the  daughter  of  Admetus,  and  it  was  for  her  sake 
that  he  fed  the  flocks  of  Admetus.  There  is  a  confusion  here : 
Met.  6.  124,  the  evident  source  of  this  passage,  says  that  as  a 
shepherd,  Phoebus  deceived  Isse,  the  daughter  of  Macareus ;  and 
with  this  statement  Spenser  has  confused  the  more  conspicuous 
instance  of  Apollo's  becoming  a  shepherd  in  the  service  of 
Admetus.  See  Apollo. 
ITYS.  — V.  G.  61. 

For  an  explanation  of  this  passage,  see  Met.  6.  412  ff., 
where  it  appears  that  the  two  Pandionian  maids  were  Procne 
and  Philomela,  daughters  of  Pandion.  The  Thracian  king  was 
Tereus.  He  married  Procne,  by  whom  he  became  the  father  of 
Itys.  He  afterwards  fell  in  love  with  Philomela;  and,  having 
deceived  her,  he  cut  out  her  tongue,  and  placed  her  in  confinement, 
pretending  to  Procne  that  she  was  dead.  Philomela,  however, 
found  means  to  acquaint  her  sister  with  her  distress ;  Procne  de- 
livered her  from  her  captivity ;  and  together  they  wreaked  ven- 
geance upon  the  faithless  Tereus  by  killing  the  boy  Itys.  After 
this  a  general  metamorphosis  took  place  :  Procne  and  Philomela 
were  changed,  in  their  flight,  to  the  swallow  and  the  nightingale, 
respectively,  while  Tereus  became  the  lapwing. 

ZULUS.  —  F.  Q.  8.  9.  43.    See  tineas. 
IXION.  —  F.  Q.  1.  6.  35;   7.  6.  29. 

The  presumption  of  Ixion  in  daring  to  aspire  to  the  favor  of 
Juno,  and  his  subsequent  punishment  in  the  Lower  World,  are 
here  cited.     Hyginus  (Fab.  62)  and  Lucian  (Dial.  Deor.  6)  re- 
late both  the  transgression  and  its  punishment.     Both  Juno  and 
Orpheus  in  their  visits  to  the  Lower  World  (Met.  4.  461 ;  10.  42) 
saw  Ixion  bound  to  his  wheel,  and  he  is  mentioned  as  among  the 
shades  noticed  by  JSneas  (JSn.  6.  601). 
IXIONE.  — V.  G.  «2.    See  Hesfone. 
JANUS.  —  F.  q.  4.  10.  12 ;  Am.  4. 

Ovid  (Fast.  1,  passim)  has  furnished  a  fertile  source  of  infor- 
mation in  regard  to  Janus,  his  double  face,  and  his  gate.  Ovid's 
invocation  of  the  god  begins  thus  :  — 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY.  71 

O,  Janus,  thou  of  the  two  heads!  origiu  of  the  year  silently 
rolling  on,  thou  who  alone  of  the  gods  above  dost  behold  thy  own 
back,  be  thou  propitious  to  our  princes,  etc. 

Further  :  — 

For  the  month  of  Janus  is  first,  because  the  gate  is  at  the  very 
entrance. 

And  again :  — 

But,  O  Janus,  thou  of  the  double  form,  what  kind  of  deity  shall 
I  pronounce  thee  to  be  ?  for  Greece  has  no  divinity  corresponding  to 
thee.  Do  thou,  at  the  same  time,  declare  the  reason  why  thou  alone 
of  all  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  lookest  upon  that  which  is  behind 
thee,  and  that  which  is  before  thee. 

Janus  gives  the  reason  of  his  shape  in  these  words  :  — 

Every  gate  has  two  fronts,  one  on  either  side,  of  which  the  one 
looks  out  upon  the  people,  but  the  other  looks  inward  upon  the 
household  shrine  ;  and  as  the  gate-keeper  among  you  mortals,  sit- 
ting near  the  threshold  of  the  front  of  the  building,  sees  both  the 
goings  out  and  the  comings  in,  so  do  I,  the  doorkeeper  of  the  vesti- 
bule of  heaven,  at  the  same  time  look  forth  upon  the  regions  of  the 
east  and  the  west. 

JASON.— F.  Q.  2.  12.  44.    See  Argonautic  Expedition. 
JOVE. 

Spenser  is  not  exactly  consistent  in  regard  to  the  parentage 
of  Jove  :  in  F.  Q.  1.  5.  22  he  is  called  the  eldest  born  of  Night. 
Wishing  to  make  Night  seem  as  ancient  as  possible,  Spenser 
makes  her  the  parent  even  of  Jove.  In  F.  Q.  7.  6.  2  he  calls  Jove 
the  son  of  Saturn,  or  Cronus. 

The  first  passage  is  to  be  freely  interpreted  in  the  light  of  a 
line  in  one  of  the  Orphic  Hymns,  which  refers  to  Night  as  the 
parent  of  men  and  gods. 

The  second  passage  is  supported  by  the  Theogony  of  Hesiod. 
According  to  that,  Chaos  was  the  origin  of  all ;  from  Chaos  were 
born  Earth  and  Night ;  and  from  Earth,  Cronus  and  Rhea  sprang, 
who,  in  turn,  became  the  parents  of  Jove  and  other  divinities. 

As  to  the  birthplace  of  Jove,  when  Mutability  (F.  Q.    7.  7. 


72  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY. 

53)  wished  to  prove  that  even  Jove,  like  all  others  born  in  this 
world,  was  subject  to  herself,  she  says :  — 

Where  were  ye  borne  ?    Some  say  in  Crete  by  name, 
Others  in  Thebes,  and  others  other-where. 

There  is,  indeed,  this  disagreement  among  the  ancients  in 
regard  to  the  birthplace  of  Jove.  The  commonest  tradition  ac- 
cords with  Hesiod's  Theogony,  which  calls  him  the  son  of  Cronus 
and  Rhea,  and  his  birthplace  Crete.  Callimachus,  however,  in 
his  Hymn  to  Jove,  speaks  of  various  places  as  claiming  to  be  his 
birthplace;  and  Tzet.  Lye.  1194  mentions  Thebes  among  the 
number.  See  Rhea,  also. 

F.  Q.  7.  7.  41  represents  December  as  riding  on  the  goat 
wherewith  Jove  was  nourished  by  the  Idsean  maid.  This  allusion 
to  Jove,  also,  is  part  of  the  myth  concerning  the  Cretan  Zeus. 
According  to  Ovid  (Fast.  5.  121  ff.)  the  Idsean  maid  was  "Nais 
Amalthea,  Cretsea  nobilis  Ida ;  "  and  the  goat  which  nourished  Ju- 
piter was  placed,  in  token  of  reward,  in  the  sky,  thus  becoming 
the  constellation  of  the  she-goat.  Other  writers  say  that  Amal- 
thea was  the  name  of  the  goat. 

Great  as  was  the  power  of  Jove,  he  himself  was,  nevertheless, 
subject  to  the  wiles  of  Cupid  (see  F.  Q.  3.  6.  22;  3.  11.  30; 
3.  11.  35;  Co.  Cl.  809;  Am.  39);  and,  although  married  to 
Juno,  he  was  the  hero  of  numerous  amours  with  both  goddesses 
and  mortal  women.  Among  those  who  excited  the  love  of  Jove, 
Spenser  mentions  .ZEgina  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  35) ;  Alcmena  (F.  Q.  3.  11. 
33);  M.  H.  T.  1299;  Ep.  328);  Antiope  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  35);  As- 
teria  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  34);  Danae  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  31)  ;  Europa  (F.  Q. 
3.  11.  30;  5.  Int.  5;  7.  7.  33;  Mui.  278  ff.) ;  Helle  (  F.  Q.  3. 
11.  30);  Leda  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  32;  Pro.  42);  Maia  (Ep.  307); 
Mnemosyne  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  35;  4.  11.  10);  Semele  (F.  Q.  3.  11. 
33) ;  Thracian  maid  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  35).  For  a  discussion  of  these 
points,  see  the  several  headings. 

The  rape  of  Ganymede,  whom  Spenser  refers  to  as  the 
Trojan  boy  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  34  ;  3.  12.  7)  is  the  subject  of  a  fa- 
vorite myth  with  the  ancients.  That  Jove  was  charmed  with 
the  beauty  of  Ganymede,  and  that  in  the  form  of  an  eagle  he 
snatched  him  away  and  bore  him  to  Olympus,  where,  much 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  73 

against  the  -will  of  Juno,  he  became  the  cup-bearer  of  the  gods, 
is  briefly  stated  by  Ovid  (Met.  10.  155).  The  myth  forms  also 
the  groundwork  of  two  of  Lucian's  dialogues. 

Jove  became  the  father  of  numerous  children.  From  among 
these,  Spenser  cites  Cupid,  calling  him  the  offspring  of  Jove  and 
Venus  (F.  Q.  1.  Int.  3).  See  Cupid. 

Spenser  further  mentions  Cynthia  (F.  Q.  7.  7.  50),  who  was 
especially  beloved  by  Jove  ;  Hercules  (Ep.  328) ;  Mars  (R.  R.  11) ; 
Phosbus  (V.  G.  2);  the  Graces  (F.  Q.  6.  10.  22);  the  Hours 
(F.  Q.  7.  7.  45;  Ep.  99);  the  Litse  (F.  Q.  5.  9.  31);  the  Muses 
(F.  Q.  4.  11.  10;  S.  C.  June  66;  R.  T.  369).  For  a  discussion 
of  these,  see  the  several  headings. 

Besides  those  above  mentioned,  there  are  references  to  the 
"twins  of  Jove"  in  F.  Q.  5.  Int.  6;  Pro.  173.  These  are  Castor 
and  Pollux.  (See  Leda.)  The  circumstances  of  their  transfer- 
ence to  the  sky  under  the  name  of  the  Gemini  are  related  by 
Ovid  (Fast.  700  ff.)  and  Hyginus  (Poet.  Astron.  2.  Gemini). 

Spenser  further  declares  the  Water-nymphs  to  be  of  Jove's 
"  kinde."  For  an  explanation  of  this,  see  Nereids. 

Jove  won  and  maintained  his  supremacy  only  at  the  expense 
of  two  famous  contests,  —  the  first  with  the  Titans,  the  second 
with  the  Giants ;  for,  although  confounded  by  ancient  writers 
and  by  Spenser  himself,  these  two  contests  were  originally  quite 
distinct. 

The  Titans,  we  are  told  by  Hesiod,  were  the  children  of 
Uranus  and  Gea,  and  were  called  Titans  (from  nraivw)  by  their 
father,  because  they  stretched  forth  their  hands  in  violence 
against  him.  After  the  Titans  had  gained  the  power,  and  had 
placed  Cronus,  one  of  their  number,  upon  the  throne  of  their 
father,  they,  in  turn,  were  assailed  by  Jove.  Hesiod  (Theog.  616 
ff.)  relates  in  a  vivid  manner  the  story  of  this  contest,  when 
earth  and  sea  and  sky  shared  in  the  general  upheaval.  Jove  in 
the  end  came  off  victorious ;  and  the  Titans  were  hurled  from 
their  heavenly  abodes  and  condemned  to  Tartarus,  though  their 
descendants  continued  to  inhabit  the  earth.  Spenser  refers  to 
this  war  in  F.  Q.  7.  6.  2,  and  7.  6.  27.  In  F.  Q.  3.  7.  47,  and 
5.  1.  9  he  employs  the  name  Titans  to  designate  the  Giants  — 
instances  of  the  confusion  referred  to  above. 


74  SPENSER  'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

The  famous  contest  of  Jove  with  the  earth-born  giants,  who 
were  so  rash  as  to'  assail  even  heaven  itself,  is  related  at  some 
length  by  Apollodorus  (1.  6.  1  ff.)  and  Claudian  (Giyant.}  and 
frequently  referred  to  by  others  among  the  ancients.  Besides 
the  references  to  this  point  already  quoted,  Spenser  mentions  the 
rebellion  of  the  Giants  in  F.  Q.  2.  10.  3;  5.  7.  10;  R.  R.  4 
and  12. 

The  adjective  "  Phlegrsean,"  which  is  used  in  the  first  two 
of  these  references,  is  explained  in  the  light  of  A  poll.  1.  6.  1  ; 
Claud.  Gigant.  4 ;  Diod.  Sic.  4.  21.  5  ;  5.  71.  4 :  it  was  in  Phlegra 
in  Italy,  the  home  of  the  Giants,  that  the  contest  took  place. 
See  also  Apollo. 

Spenser  further  relates  that  under  the  wrathful  power  of 
Earth,  the  mother  of  the  slain,  the  blood  of  the  Giants  which 
was  shed  on  this  occasion  became  wine  —  the  liquor  that  has 
"the  mindes  of  men  with  fury  fraught."  This  idea  is  from 
Plutarch's  I  sis  and  Osiris. 

The  picture  which  Spenser  gives  us  of  Jove  is  made  up  of 
bits  of  mosaic,  —  a  passage  here  and  an  epithet  there.  When, 
however,  these  bits  are  pieced  together,  we  have  the  Jove  of  the 
Iliad. 

Perhaps  no  passage  of  that  poem  more  clearly  shows  the 
relation  of  Jove  to  the  other  gods  than  his  own  address  to  them 
on  Mt.  Olympus,  which  opens  the  eighth  book  of  the  Iliad. 
With  this  passage  may  be  compared  F.  Q.  5.  7.  1,  where  Jove  is 
described  as  one  "who  doth  true  justice  deale  To  his  inferior 
Gods." 

When,  according  to  Iliad  15.  187  ff.,  the  universe  was  par- 
titioned among  the  three  sons  of  Saturn,  Jupiter  was  allotted 
"  the  wide  heaven,  in  clear  air  and  clouds."  Hence  Spenser  call.>j 
him  the  ruler  of  day  and  night  (F.  Q.  1.  5.  42),  and  the  day  and 
the  stars  his  lamps  (see  F.  Q.  1.  5.  19;  1.  7.  23;  3.  1.  57; 
3.  4.  51). 

According  to  the  Iliad,  the  abode  of  Jove  is  on  the  top  of 
Mt.  Olympus,  in  the  heavens,  whence  he  rules  the  world.  With 
this  conception  compare  F.  Q.  1.  4.  11 ;  1.  4.  17  ;  7.  6.  15. 

Homer  frequently  describes  Jove  as  thundering ;  and  Spenser 
follows  him  in  such  passages  as  F.  Q.  1.  5.  42 ;  2.  6.  10 ;  2.  6.  50 ; 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  <O 

4.  5.  37.  With  his  thunderbolts  he  killed  Phaeton,  and  thrust 
JSsculapius  down  to  hell.  See  JEsculapius  and  Phaeton. 

A  storm  was  supposed  to  be  expressive  of  his  anger.  On 
this  point  compare  F.  Q.  1.  1.  6  ;  1.  8.  9  ;  4.  6.  14  with  the  force- 
ful description  of  a  storm  as  expressive  of  the  wrath  of  Jove 
against  the  injustice  of  men  in  //.  16.  384  ff. 

With  the  peculiar  description  in  the  first  of  these  passages, 
compare  Lucret.  1.  251  :  — 

.  .  .  pereunt  imbres,  ubi  eos  pater  ^Ether 
In  gremium  matris  Terrae  prsecipitavit. 

Throughout  the  Iliad,  Jove  appears  as  the  arbiter  of  justice 
to  gods  and  men.  His  rewards  are  great  and  his  punishments 
fearful.  Thus  Spenser  represents  him  (F.  Q.  4.  3.  44)  as  advan- 
cing the  worthy  to  heaven,  as  in  the  case  of  Hercules  and  many 
others  (Hyg.  Fab.  225),  and  in  condemning  the  damned  to  Phlege- 
thon  (F.  Q.  1.  5.  33).  He  punishes  Prometheus  for  his  audacity 
(F.  Q.  2.  10.  70),  on  which  point  see  Prometheus.  He  is  also  the 
judge  in  the  contest  between  Pallas  and  Neptune  over  the  naming 
of  Athens  (Mui.  305  ff.).  See  Arachne.  In  F.  Q..  1.  5.  25  Spen- 
ser follows  //.  8.  19,  and  speaks  of  the  chain  of  necessity  —  the 
concatenation  of  cause  and  effect  —  "  Which  fast  is  tyde  to  Jove's 
eternall  seat." 

While  the  Homeric  Jove  is  always  superior  to  Fate,  Spenser 
says  :  —  § 

Not  so;  for  what  the  Fates  do  once  decree, 
Not  all  the  gods  can  change,  nor  Jove  himself  can  free. 
.  F.  Q.  4.  2.  61. 

This  conception  of  Jove  and  the  other  gods  as  limited  in 
power  by  the  Fates  is  rather  in  accord  with  such  passages  as  Met. 
15.  781,  807  ff. 

The  bird  of  Jove  referred  to  in  F.  Q.  2.  11.  43;  R.  R.  17 ; 
V.  W.  V.  4,  is  the  eagle.  With  these  passages  compare  the 
opening  lines  of  that  famous  ode  by  Horace,  which  records  the 
triumphs  of  Drusus  (Cam.  4.  4)  :  — 

Like  the  fierce  bird  with  thunder-laden  wing,  etc. 

In  F.  Q.  2.  5.  31  ;  V.  B.  5  we  have  a  reference  to  the  tree 
that  was  sacred  to  Jove.  This  is  the  oak,  through  whose  rustling 


76  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY. 

leaves  the  god  was  supposed  to  make  his  will  known  at  his  oracle 
at  Dodona  (Od.  19.  296). 

The  great  image  of  Jove  "  in  Olympus  [ !  ]  placed  "  (R.  R. 
2)  is  the  famous  statue  of  the  god  at  Olympia  in  Elis.  It  was 
the  work  of  Phidias,  and  was  considered  to  be  one  of  the  wonders 
of  the  ancient  world  (Hyg.  Fab.  223). 

In  V.  W.  F.  11  Jove  is  called  the  patron  of  the  Capitol  at 
Rome.  This  epithet,  more  briefly  expressed  by  the  Romans  in 
the  title  of  Capitolinus,  has  reference  to  the  fact  that  Jupiter  had 
a  temple  upon  the  Capitoline  Hill  at  Rome  (Fast.  2.  69). 

The  Jupiter  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  was  identified  with 
the  Egyptian  Ammon,  to  whom  there  is  a  single  reference  in 
Spenser  (F.  Q.  1.  5.  48).  The  "  mightie  monarch"  of  this  pas- 
sage is  Alexander,  who  was  first  hailed  by  the  Egyptian  priests 
as  the  son  of  Zeus  Ammon.  For  an  explanation  of  this,  see  Plu- 
tarch. See  also  Lucian,  Dial.  Mort.  12  ;  13  ;  14. 

A  fitting  close  to  this  article  is  the  Horn.  Hymn  to  Jove, 
which  sums  up  many  of  the  points  here  alluded  to :  — 

Jove  now  I  sing;  the  greatest  and  the  best 

Of  all  those  powers  that  are  with  deity  blest; 

That  far-off  doth  his  dreadful  voice  diffuse; 

And,  being  king  of  all,  dotli  all  conduce 

To  all  their  ends ;  who  (shut  from  all  gods  else 

With  Themis,  that  the  laws  of  all  things  tells) 

Their  fit  composures  to  their  times  doth  call, 

Weds  them  together,  and  preserves  this  all. 

Grace  then,  O  far-heard  Jove!  the  grace  thou'st  given; 

Most  glorious,  and  most  great,  of  earth  and  heaven. 

JUNO. 

Spenser's  references  to  Juno  are  slight  and  few  in  number. 
In  F.  Q.  7.  7.  26  (a  part  of  the  paraphrase  of  Ovid's  presenta- 
tion of  the  Pythagorean  philosophy  of  change),  after  naming  the 
four  elements,  —  earth,  water,  air,  and  fire,  —  Spenser  says  that 
Juno  is  ruler  of  the  air.  In  making  this  statement,  Spenser 
follows  Macrobius,  Sat.  1.  5,  where  Juno  is  called  aeris  arbitra, 
an  epithet  arising  from  the  fact  that  the  early  Romans  identified 
Juno  with  the  moon,  which  sails  through  the  air. 

In  Ep.  390  ff,  Juno  is  invoked  as  the  patron  of  marriage, 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  77 

and  the  divinity  who  presides  over  childbirth.  The  origin  of  the 
first  of  these  ideas  is  in  the  wifely  relation  which  Juno  bore  to 
Jove ;  her  interest  in  offspring  arises  from  the  fact  that  she  first 
made  Saturn  a  parent  —  that  is,  she  was  his  eldest  child  (see 
Fast.  6.  26  if.,  where  she  is  frequently  alluded  to  as  the  guard- 
ian of  marriage,  as  in  Ap.  Rh.  4.  96  ;  JEn.  4.  166.) 

The  character  of  Juno  (or  Hera),  as  represented  by  the 
ancients  from  Homer  down,  is  distinguished  by  jealousy,  arro- 
gance, and  a  spirit  of  contention  and  revenge.  Lucian,  in  his 
Dialogues,  portrays  these  characteristics  in  a  most  realistic  man- 
ner, and  makes  of  the  queen  of  heaven  a  mortal  among  mortals. 

The  fickleness  of  Jove  tended  to  develop  the  vengeful  side 
of  Juno's  nature,  and  we  frequently  find  her  engaged  in  some 
scheme  for  thwarting  his  amours.  Thus  Spenser  refers  to  her 
anger  against  Latona  (F.  Q.  2.  12.  13),  and  to  the  deception 
which  she  practiced  on  Semele  (F.  Q.  3.  11.  3),  for  which  see 
Latona  and  Semele. 

In  F.  Q.  I.  4.  17  we  have  a  picture  of  the  famous  golden 
chariot  of  Juno,  drawn  by  peacocks.  While  this  passage  was,  no 
doubt,  suggested  indirectly  by  II.  5.  720  —  where  the  chariot  is 
described  as  golden  in  part,  though  drawn,  not  by  peacocks,  but 
by  horses  —  the  direct  source  of  Spenser's  description  is  Met. 
2.  5.  31  ff.,  where  the  variegated  birds  are  mentioned. 

The  "ey-spotted  traine"  of  Juno's  bird  is  referred  to  in 
Mui.  95.  For  the  source  of  this,  see  Argus. 

LACHESIS.  —  F.  Q.  4.  2.  48.    See  Pates. 
LAERTES.  — V.  6.  67.    See  Ulysses. 
LAOMEDIA.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  51.    See  Nereids. 
LAOMEDON.—  F.  Q.  2.  11.  19.    See  Apollo. 

LAPITH^E.-F.  Q.  4.  1.  23;  6.  10.  13;  V.  6.  6. 

These  passages  all  refer  to  the  bloody  contest  between  the 
Lapithse  and  the  Centaurs  at  the  marriage  of  Pirithous,  one  of 
the  Lapithae,  and  Hippodamia.  On  this  occasion  Eurytus,  one 
of  the  Centaurs,  made  an  attempt  upon  the  bride,  and  a  bloody 
fray  ensued.  Compare  Met.  12.  210  ff.  See  also  Ariadne. 


78  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

IiATINUS.-F.  Q.  3.  9.  42;  3.  9.  43. 

Latinus  was  the  king  of  Latium  at  the  time  vEneas  and  his 
followers  reached  the  country.  It  was  decreed  by  unmistakable 
signs  that  JEneas  should  marry  Lavinia,  the  only  daughter  of 
Latinus,  and  that  thus  the  two  peoples  should  be  united ;  but 
the  oracle  was  fulfilled  only  after  bloody  wars  and  the  final 
defeat  of  Turnus,  the  foe  and  rival  of  JSneas.  See  JEneid  7 ;  8 ; 
9;  10;  11;  12. 

LATONA. 

For  the  references  to  Latona  as  the  mother  of  Apollo  and 
Diana,  and  the  circumstances  attending  their  birth  (F.  Q.  2. 
12.  13 ;  6.  2.  25 ;  V.  G.  2),  see  Apollo. 

For  the  references  to  the  wrath  which  Latona's  children 
visited  upon  the  hapless  Niobe  (F.  Q.  5.  10.  7  ;  S.  C.  Apr.  86), 
see  Niobe. 

The  single  remaining  passage  (V.  G.  48)  refers  to  the  pun- 
ishment of  Tityus  for  his  assault  upon  Latona,  for  which  see 
Tityus. 

LEANDER.  — H.  L.  231. 

The  romantic  love  of  Hero  and  Leander  is  here  referred  to. 
Every  night  Leander  of  Abydos  swam  the  Hellespont  (not  the 
Euxine  waves)  in  order  to  reach  his  beloved  Hero,  a  priestess  of 
Venus,  upon  Sestus,  in  which  undertaking  he  finally  perished. 
The  source  of  this  reference  is,  no  doubt,  the  poem  of  Hero  and 
Leander,  by  Musaeus. 

IiEDA.— F.  Q.  3.  11.  32;  Pro.  43. 

Jove's  intrigue  with  Leda,  whom  he  approached  in  the  shape 
of  a  swan,  is  referred  to  in  these  passages,  in  support  of  which 
see  Met.  6.  109  and  Apoll.  3.  10.  7. 

Castor  and  Pollux  were  the  offspring  of  this  union.  Their 
constellation,  the  Gemini,  is  referred  to  in  F.  Q.  7.  7.  34 ;  7?.  T. 
386.  For  the  origin  of  this  constellation  as  explained  by  Ovid, 
see  Fast.  5.  697  ff. 

LETHE.— F.  Q.  1.  3.  36;  S.  C.  March  23;  B.  T.  428;  V.  G.  43. 

"Lethe  is  a  lake  in  hell,  which  the  poetes  call  the  lake  of 
forgetf ulness."  —  E.  K.,  Glosse,  S.  C.  March  23. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  79 

Compare  JEn.  6.  714,  where  Lethe  is  described  as  a  river  of 
the  Lower  World,  whose  waters  dispelled  care  and  produced 
oblivion  in  those  shades  who  were  destined  to  be  reincarnated. 

For  R.  T.  428,  see  Thetis. 

T.TAGORE.  — F.  Q.  3.  4.  41.    See  Apollo. 
LIAGORE.  — F.  q.  4.  11.  61.     See  Nereids. 
LINUS.  — B.  T.  333. 

Linus  is  here  mentioned  as  a  poet  in  close  connection  with 
Orpheus.  They  both  belong  to  the  number  of  those  half-mythical 
and  half-historical  poets  who  were  believed  to  have  been  under 
the  immediate  instruction  of  Apollo  and  the  Muses.  Their 
shadowy  personalities  haunt  the  pages  of  classic  literature,  and 
in  later  times  they  came  to  be  regarded  as  historical  characters. 

Apollodorus  (2.  3.  9)  declares  Linus  and  Orpheus  to  have 
been  brothers,  the  sons  of  the  Muse  Calliope  and  (Eagrus  (1.  3. 2). 
Virgil  (Ed.  4.  50)  speaks  of  Calliope  and  Apollo  as  their  parents. 

Diodorus  Siculus  says  that  Linus  invented  the  lichanos  (3. 
59.  6)  and  measure  and  song  (3.  67.  1)  ;  and  that  among  his 
pupils  were  Hercules,  Thamyris,  and  Orpheus,  the  first  of  whom 
struck  and  killed  his  master  with  his  lyre.  He  adds  that  Linus 
left  behind  him  certain  works  committed  to  writing  (3.  67.  2). 

LISIANASSA.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  60.     See  Nereids. 
IiIT-dE.  —  F.  Q.  5.  9.  31. 

This   name    is    a   personification   of    the    Greek   word   for 

"prayers"  (AITOI),  as  in  Iliad  9.  502  ff a  passage  which  is  the 

source  of  the  general  conception  here  expressed.  With  Homer, 
as  with  Spenser,  they  are  daughters  of  Jove,  who  attend  their 
father  as  mediators  between  him  and  man ;  and  they  bend  the 
wills  of  mortals  also.  But  while  Homer  describes  them  as  "  halt- 
ing and  wrinkled  and  of  eyes  askance,  that  have  their  task  withal 
to  go  in  the  steps  of  Sin,"  Spenser  says  they  are  fair  virgins  and 
lovely  daughters.  Moreover,  Homer  mentions  no  particular  num- 
ber of  Litse ;  neither  does  he  give  their  names  or  that  of  their 
mother.  Spenser,  on  the  other  hand,  calls  them  the  daughters  of 
Jove  and  Themis  (the  personification  of  justice),  and  gives  their 
names  as  Dice,  Eunomie,  and  Irene,  in  which  particulars  he  is 
following  Hesiod  in  his  designation  of  the  Hours. 


80  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

This  fusion  of  the  Litse  with  the  Hours  is  arbitrary  on  the 
part  of  our  poet  :  it  may  have  been  suggested,  however,  by  the 
ethical  conception  of  the  Hours,  which  is  evident  in  Hesiod 
(Theog.  901  ff.)  and  Pindar  (Olymp.  13).  It  is  clear,  from  the 
names  themselves,  that  the  Hours  of  Hesiod  are  something  more 
than  those  of  Homer,  who  represents  them  as  divinities  of  the 
seasons  only  :  with  Hesiod  there  is  an  ethical  conception,  and 
they  administer  justice,  good  laws,  and  peace  to  men,  as  their 
names  indicate.  This  idea  held  its  own  as  time  went  on,  as  will 
be  seen  from  the  passage  by  Pindar,  referred  to  above  :  "  For 
therein  dwell  Order,  and  her  sisters,  sure  foundation  of  states, 
Justice  and  like-minded  Peace,  dispensers  of  wealth  to  men,  wise 
Themis'  golden  daughters." 

This  conception,  however,  is  so  different  from  that  of  Homer 
concerning  the  Litse  that,  as  said  above,  it  could  not  have  done 
more  than  suggest  to  Spenser  the  fusion  of  the  two. 

LUCOTA.—  F.  Q.  2.  1.  53;  3.  6.  27. 

This  was  a  name  given  to  both  Juno  and  Diana  as  the  god- 
desses who  preside  at  childbirth.  See  Fast.  2.  449  ff.,  where  the 
name  as  applied  to  Diana  is  derived  from  lucus,  a  grove,  or  (more 
probably)  from  lux,  lucis,  meaning  light  ;  for  she  it  is  who  brings 
children  to  the  light.  See  also  Fast.  3.  255. 


.—  F.  Q.  3.  l.  51. 

The  derivation  of  this  name,  Avato«,  from  the  verb  AU'W,  to  loose 
or  deliver,  shows  the  appropriateness  of  it  as  an  epithet  of  Bac- 
chus, the  god  of  care-dispelling  wine.  See  Anac.  6.  8.  24,  25,  53  ; 
Anth.  Lai.  745. 


.—  F.  Q.  5.  8.  47. 

The  fury  of  the  Msenades,  or  priestesses  of  Bacchus,  is  here 
referred  to,  with  which  compare  Eurip.  Bacchanals,  passim. 

MAIA. 

Flora  now  calleth  forth  eche  flower, 
And  bids  make  readie  Maias  bower, 

That  newe  is  upryst  from  bedde. 

S.  C.  Mar.  17. 

E.  K.,  commenting  upon  this  passage,  says:  "Maias  bower, 
that  is,  the  pleasaunt  field,  or  rather  the  Maye  bushes.     Maia  is 


SPENSER  'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  81 

a  goddess,  and  the  mother  of  Mercuric,  in  honour  of  whome  the 
moneth  of  Maye  is  of  her  name  so  called,  as  sayth  Macrobius." 

With  this  authority  compare  F.  Q.  4.  3.  42  ;  7.  6.  16 ;  M. 
H.  T.  1257. 

In  Ep.  307  Spenser  names  Tempe  as  the  place  where  Jove 
and  Maia  met,  but  his  authority  is  not  evident. 

MARS. 

The  Mars  of  Spenser's  poems  appears  under  two  different 
aspects,  —  as  delighting  in  war,  and  as  conquered  by  love.  As  the 
god  of  war  Mars  (Ares)  appears  often  in  the  Iliad,  and  the  Horn. 
Hymn  to  Mars  gives  us  a  clear  idea  of  his  warlike  character. 
Compare  F  Q.  1.  11.  7;  S,  C.  Oct.  39. 

In  R.  R.  11,  the  warlike  Roman  people  are  spoken  of  as  the 
offspring  of  Mars.  Macrobius  tells  that  the  Romans  worshiped 
Mars  under  the  title  of  "  Marspiter,"  that  is,  Father  Mars  (Sat. 
1.  19.  3). 

This  fact  is  easily  explained  in  the  light  of  the  myth  which 
makes  Mars  the  father  of  Romulus,  the  founder  of  the  Roman 
state  (Fast.  3.  1  ff.).  The  month  of  March  was  sacred  to  him, 
and  he  was  second  only  to  Jupiter  among  the  Roman  people. 

But  there  is  a  hint  in  F.  Q.  I.  Int.  3  that  Mars  could  at  times 
lay  aside  his  fierce  aspect :  — 

.  .  .  and  with  you  bring  triumphant  Mart, 

In  loves  and  gentle  jollities  arraid, 

After  his  murdrous  spoyles  and  bloudie  rage  allayd. 

In  F.  Q.  2.  6.  35  Spenser  goes  so  far  as  to  declare  that  — 

.  .  .  Mars  is  Cupidoes  trend, 

And  is  for  Venus  loves  renowmed  more 

Then  all  his  wars  and  spoiles,  the  which  he  did  of  yore. 

This  is  a  reference  to  the  love  of  Venus  and  Mars,  which 
was  disclosed  by  Phcebus.  It  is  the  theme  of  the  bard  in  the 
eighth  book  of  the  Odyssey.  See  also  F.  Q.  2.  6.  35 ;  3.  6.  24 ; 
3.  11.  36;  3.  11.  44. 

The  planet  Mars  is  cited  in  F.  Q.  5.  Int.  8;  7.  7.  52 ;  Am. 
60.  See  Hyg.  Poet.  Astron.  2.  De  quinque  stellis  ;  4.  De  Marte. 

MEDEA. —P.  Q.  2.  12.  44;  6.  8.  47.    See  Argonautic  Expedition. 


82  SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

MEDUSA.— F.  Q.  3.  11.  42;  B.  T.  647. 

In  both  these  passages  Medusa  is  referred  to  as  the  mother 
of  Pegasus,  the  winged  horse ;  in  the  first,  as  among  those  who 
won  the  love  of  Neptune,  by  whom  she  became  the  mother  of 
Pegasus. 

Apollodorus  (2.  4.  3)  and  Ovid  (Met.  6.  119)  say  that  Medusa 
was  the  mother  of  the  horse  by  Neptune,  which  authors  Spenser 
follows.  It  should  be  added,  however,  that  while  Ovid  says  that 
Neptune  deceived  Medusa  in  the  shape  of  a  bird,  Spenser  says 
that  it  was  as  a  winged  horse  —  a  slight  deviation,  for  which 
there  is  apparently  no  classical  authority. 

The  reference  to  her  snaky  locks  is  explained  by  Met.  4.  790 
ff.  :  it  was  in  the  temple  of  Minerva  that  Neptune  and  Medusa 
met,  and  the  goddess  punished  such  desecration  by  changing  the 
beautiful  hair  of  Medusa  to  snaky  locks. 

MEG2ERA.-T.  M.  164. 

One  of  the  three  Furies,  mentioned  by  Virgil  (^En.  12.  846). 
The  daughters  of  Night,  made  hideous  with  serpents  and  provided 
with  swift  wings,  they  strike  terror  to  the  hearts  of  mortals. 

MEUTE.—  F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
MELPOMENE.  —  S.  C.  NOT.  53.    See  Muses. 
MENIPPE.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  51.    See  Nereids. 
MERCURY. 

Spenser  alludes  to  the  messenger  of  the  gods  under  the 
names  of  Hermes,  Mercury,  and  the  son  of  Maia. 

For  the  parentage  of  Mercury  (F.  Q.  4.  3.  42  ;  7.  6.  16  ; 
M.  H.  T.  1257),  see  Maia. 

In  F.  Q.  7.  6.  16  ff. ;  M.  H.  T.  1257,  Mercury  appears  as  a 
messenger.  In'F.  Q  .  2.  12.  41  there  is  a  reference  to  his  rod,  — • 

With  which  he  wonts  the  Stygian  realmes  invade 
Through  ghostly  horror  and  eternall  shade: 
Th'  infernall  feends  with  it  he  can  asswage, 
And  Orcus  tame,  whome  nothing  can  persuade, 
And  rule  the  Furyes  when  they  most  doe  rage. 

In  F.  Q.  4.  3.  42,  to  this  rod  is  compared  one  which  is 
wound  with  two  serpents,  crowned  with  an  olive  garland.  In 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  83 

M.  If.  T.  1292  the  power  of  Mercury's  caduceus  in  bringing 
about  continuous  night  at  the  time  of  Jupiter's  intrigue  with 
Alcmena  is  referred  to.  In  R.  7?  665  and  M.  H.  T.  1257  the 
wings  of  Mercury  are  mentioned. 

Numerous  passages  from  the  Iliad  and  other  writings  might 
be  quoted  to  prove  that  Mercury  was  the  messenger  of  the  gods, 
a  fact  which  is  playfully  brought  out  in  Lucian  DiaL  Dear.  24, 
where  Hermes  grumbles  over  the  numerous  demands  made  upon 
him. 

His  magic  staff  also  is  mentioned  in  the  Iliad ;  and,  in  the 
Horn.  Hymn  to  Mercury,  we  learn  that  it  was  the  gift  of  Apollo. 
There  is,  however,  no  mention  of  the  serpents  until  later  times. 
Hyginus  (Poet.  Astron.  2.  7),  accounting  for  their  presence  on  the 
staff,  says  that  Mercury  one  day  came  across  two  serpents  fight- 
ing one  with  the  other.  He  extended  his  rod  between  them  and 
they  separated.  The  rod,  in  consequence,  became  a  token  of 
peace,  and  it  was  represented  as  adorned  with  two  intertwined 
serpents.  Spenser,  as  if  to  emphasize  the  idea  of  peace,  adds  an 
olive  crown ;  and  there  is  a  certain  consistency  in  this,  since  by 
some  the  olive-tree  was  believed  to  be  the  gift  of  Mercury  and 
not  of  Minerva  (Diod.  Sic.  1.  16.  2). 

The  power  of  this  staff  in  calming  certain  creatures  in 
Hades  is  brought  out  by  Spenser  in  the  above-quoted  passage. 
There  is  a  somewhat  similar  general  statement  in  jEn.  4.  242  ff. ; 
Lucian  Dial.  Dear.  7.  For  a  particular  instance,  see  Od.  24.  1 
ff.,  where  Homer  describes  Mercury  conducting  the  souls  of  the 
suitors  to  the  Lower  World.  See  also  Lucian,  Dial.  Mort,  passim. 

For  the  power  of  Mercury's  caduceus  at  the  time  of  Jove's 
intrigue  with  Alcmena,  see  //.  24.  343,  where  to  Mercury  is  at- 
tributed the  power  of  granting  or  withholding  sleep  by  the 
exercise  of  his  wand, 

Although  Mercury  is  generally  represented  as  with  wings, 
all  writers  do  not  agree  in  placing  the  wings :  some  make  them 
an  adornment  of  his  hat ;  others,  of  his  staff ;  while  others,  like 
Spenser,  place  them  upon  his  feet.  With  Spenser  compare  JEn. 
4.  239.  It  is,  of  course,  more  than  probable  that  Spenser  was 
indebted  to  works  of  art  also  for  his  conception  of  Mercury  and 
his  attributes. 


84  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

F.  Q.  7.  6.  14,  and  7.  7.  51  refer  to  Mercury  as  a  planet. 
Spenser  follows  the  Ptolemaic  system  when,  in  the  first  of  these 
passages,  he  says  that  Mercury  "  next  [to  the  moon]  doth  raigne." 

MINERVA.  —  Mui.  273.     See  Arachne 
MINOS. -V.  G.  78. 

One  .of  the  judges  in  the  Lower  World  :  "  Minos  rules  the 
scrutiny,  and  shakes  the  urn ;  he  convokes  the  conclave  of  the 
silent  dead,  and  learns  their  lives,  and  the  charges  brought 
against  them."  —  JEn.  6.  432  ff. 

MNEMOSYNE.  —  F.  Q.  3.  11.  35. 

Spenser  is  again  indebted  to  the  list  of  Jove's  transforma- 
tions mentioned  by  Ovid.  See  Met.  6.  114.  Mnemosyne  is  re- 
ferred to  in  the  other  passages  as  Memory,  for  which  see  Muses. 

MCENADES.  — F.  Q.  5.  8.  47.     See  Msenades. 
MORPHEUS. 

When  Archimago  sends  one  of  his  legions  of  sprites  to  the 
house  of  Morpheus  to  obtain  from  the  god  of  sleep  "  A  fit  false 
dreame,  that  can  delude  the  sleepers  sent"  (F.  Q.  1.  1.  38  ff.),  he 
is  simply  following  Juno,  who  sent  Iris  to  the  god  of  sleep  with 
a  similar  request  —  that  he  would  dispatch  a  dream  to  Halcyone, 
telling  her  of  the  death  of  her  husband  Ceyx  (Met.  11.  590  ff.). 
A  comparison  of  these  two  passages  will  reveal  their  general 
similarity,  although  in  certain  minor  points  there  is  a  difference : 
thus,  for  instance,  with  Ovid,  Morpheus  is  but  one  of  the  thou- 
sand sons  of  Father  Sleep  who,  as  dreams,  do  the  bidding  of  their 
master;  while,  with  Spenser,  Morpheus  himself  is  the  god  of 
sleep,  having  the  dreams  in  his  control.  But  the  abode  of  sleep, 
its  situation,  the  quietness  pervading  it,  and  the  drowsiness  of 
the  god,  are  practically  the  same  in  both  accounts.  The  twin 
portals  of  sleep  are  not  from  Ovid,  however,  but  from  Virgil 
(Mn.  6.  893  ff.;  cf.  Od.  19.  562  ff.). 

The  leaden  mace  of  Morpheus  (F.  Q.  1.  4.  44)  may  have 
been  suggested  to  our  poet  by  the  Lethe-drenched  branch  which 
the  god  of  sleep  shakes  over  the  head  of  Palinurus  (&n.  5.  854), 
or  perhaps  by  Hermes'  soporific  wand  (Od.  5.  47  ;  JEn.  4.  244). 
See  also  F.  Q.  6.  8.  34  ;  V.  B.  15. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  85 

MUSES. 

In  the  number  and  names  of  the  Muses  as  given  in  The  Teares 
of  the  Muses,  Spenser  follows  the  list  of  Hesiod  (Theog.  77  ff.); 
but  the  distinct  arts  which  Spenser  attributes  to  the  "  sacred 
Sisters  nine  "  are  not  mentioned  by  Hesiod,  except  in  the  case  of 
Calliope,  who  is  named  as  the  most  honored  of  the  Muses,  the 
one  who  sings  of  the  great  acts  of  virtuous  monarchs.  With 
Hesiod,  poetry  in  general  is  the  province  of  all  the  Muses,  and 
with  their  master  Apollo  they  give  inspiration  to  the  poet :  — 

Bless'd  whom  with  eyes  of  love  the  Muses  view, 
Sweet  flow  his  words,  gentle  as  falling  dew. 

Spenser,  however,  follows  later  authorities,  and  distinguishes 
a  special  province  for  each  of  the  nine :  — 

Clio  speaks  as  the  Muse  of  History,  who  registers  noble 
feats,  and  keeps  alive  the  memory  of  them  from  age  to  age. 
Compare  Anth.  Lot.  664. 

Melpomene  declares  that  it  is  her  part  "  The  Stage  with 
Tragick  buskin  to  adorne."  Compare  Hor.  Carm.  1.  24. 

Thalia  boasts  that  she  is  the  queen  of  comedy.  Compare 
Anth.  Lot.  664. 

Euterpe  speaks  as  the  Muse  of  lyric  poetry.  Compare 
Hor.  Carm.  1.1. 

Terpsichore  is  the  Muse  of  the  choral  song  and  dance,  who 
"  earst  in  joyance  did  abound."  Compare  Plato,  Phcedr.  259  C. 

Erato  sings,  "Love  wont  to  be  schoolmaster  of  my  skill." 
Compare  Plato,  Phcedr.  259  D. 

Calliope,  as  Muse  of  the  epic,  boasts  that  she  is  the  nurse 
of  virtue,  immortalizing  the  deeds  of  heroes.  See  above. 

Urania,  as  Muse  of  astronomy,  talks  of  the  stars  and  her 
"  heavenlie  discipline."  Compare  Anth.  Lat.  664  ;  Plato,  Phcedr. 
259  D. 

Polyhymnia  utters  her  lament  in  the  capacity  of  the  Muse 
of  lofty  hymns.  Compare  Hor.  Carm.  1.  1. 

Thus,  also,  in  other  poems,  Spenser  preserves  the  distinct 
offices  of  the  several  Muses :  Calliope,  F.  Q.  7.  6.  37 ;  Clio,  F.  Q. 
3.  3.  4  ;  7.  6.  37  ;  Melpomene,  S.  C.  Nov.  53. 

E.  K.,  in  his  note  on  Calliope  (S.  C.  Apr.  100),  has  in  mind 


86  SPENSER  'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

Anth.  Lat.  664 —  a  poem  already  cited  —  when  he  assigns  to  this 
Muse  "  The  firste  glorye  of  Heroical  verse,"  and  attributes  to 
Virgil  a  line  in  regard  to  Polyhymnia,  with  which  he  disagrees. 
And  again,  in  his  note  on  Melpomene  (5.  C.  Nov.  53),  E.  K. 
quotes  from  the  same  poem,  attributing  it  also  to  Virgil :  — 

Melpomene  tragico  proclainat  moesta  boatu. 

There  is  a  discrepancy  in  Spenser's  references  to  the  paren- 
tage of  the  Muses.  The  passages  touching  upon  this  point  are 
of.  two  classes :  those  which  refer  to  Jove  as  their  father,  and 
those  which  mention  Apollo  in  that  relation.  See  F.  Q.  4.  11. 
10 ;  S.  C.  June  66 ;  R.  T.  369  ;  and  F.  Q.  1.  11.  5 ;  3.  3.  4 ;  T.  M. 
2 ;  Ep.  121.  Whenever  the  mother  of  the  Muses  is  mentioned, 
it  is  Mnemosyne  (Memory). 

The  weight  of  classical  authority  is  in  support  of  making 
Jove  and  Mnemosyne  the  parents  of  the  Muses.  (See  Theog.~) 
There  seems  to  be  very  slight  ground  for  calling  Apollo  their 
father ;  though  his  intimate  connection  with  the  Muses,  as  their 
leader,  would  quite  naturally  suggest  it. 

Spenser  deviates  from  the  classics  in  calling  the  Muses  the 
sisters  of  Phaeton,  who  drove  the  chariot  of  the  Sun  (T.  M.  11)  ; 
and  in  saying  that  Calliope  was  the  mother  of  the  Palici  (T.  M. 
13).  See  Phaeton  and  Palici. 

Certain  haunts  of  the  Muses  are  especially  mentioned  in 
T.  M.,  passim,  as  elsewhere  in  Spenser's  poems.  These  are  the 
spring  on  Mt.  Helicon  (see  Pegasus) ;  Mt.  Parnassus  (especially 
sacred  to  Apollo  —  and  therefore  to  the  Muses  —  because  the 
oracle  of  Delphi  was  at  its  base.  See  Horn.  Hymn  to  Apollo 
(Pythian)  ;  Paus.  10.  5.  6);  and  the  "speaking  streams  of  pure 
Castalion."  (Compare  "  Castaliae  vocalibus  undis  Invisus."- 
Stat.  Silv.  5.  5.) 

Calliope  is  further  named  in  June,  57.  Other  general  refer- 
ences to  the  Muses  are  too  numerous  to  mention. 

The  office  of  the  Muses  is  suggestively  stated  in  the  Horn. 
Hymn  to  the  Muses  and  Apollo :  — 

The  Muses,  Jove  and  Phoebus,  now  I  sing: 
For  from  the  far-off-shooting  Phoebus  spring 
All  poets  and  musicians ;  and  from  Jove 
Th'  ascent  of  kings.    The  man  the  Muses  love, 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  87 

Felicity  blesses;   elocution's  choice 
In  syrup  laying,  of  sweetest  breath,  his  voice. 
Hail,  seed  of  Jove,  my  song  your  honors  give ; , 
And  so,  in  mine,  shall  yours  and  others'  live. 

MYRRHA.  — F.  Q.  3.  2.  41.    See  Adonis. 

The  epithet  "  Arabian  "  is  explained  by  the  tradition  that 
Myrrha  in  her  flight  over  wide  countries  rested  in  Sabsea,  in  Ara- 
bia Felix  (see  Met.  10.  480).  Compare  Virg.  Ciris,  237. 

NAIS.  — F.  Q.  7.  7.  40.    See  Chiron. 

NARCISSUS. 

Foolish  Narcisse,  that  likes  the  watry  shore. 

F.  Q.  3.  6.  45. 

.  .  .  lyke  Narcissus  vaine, 
Whose  eyes  him  starv'd. 

Am.  35. 

The  story  of  Narcissus,  who  fell  in  love  with  his  own  reflec- 
tion in  the  water,  and  was  transformed  into  the  flower,  is  related 
in  Met.  3.  402. 

NELEUS.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  14.    See  Sea-Gods. 

NE1VLS3AN  (lion).  — F.  Q.  5.  Int.  6;   7.  7.  36;  Mui.  72.     See  Hercules. 

NEMERTEA.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  61.    See  Nereids. 

NEMESIS. -Mui.  2. 

In  this  passage  Nemesis  appears  as  the  spiteful  instigator  of 
a  quarrel  "  Betwixt  two  mightie  ones  of  great  estate." 

This  is  not  in  accord  with  the  earliest  classical  conception  of 
Nemesis,  as  the  personification  of  a  regard  for  what  is  due ;  but 
rather  with  the  later  conception  of  this  divinity,  as  envious  of  the 
prosperity  of  mortals  and  of  a  vengeful  character.  Eurip.  Orest. 
1362;  Soph.  Elec.  792. 

NEPENTHE.  —  F.  Q.  4.  3.  42  ff. 

The  name  of  this  magic  potion  is  from  the  Greek  adjective 
i/»)irei<0)js,  dispelling  sorrow,  which  is  employed  in  Od.  4.  221  to 
describe  a  drug  which  allayed  all  care.  Spenser  is,  no  doubt, 
indebted  to  this  passage  for  his  description. 


88  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY 

NEPTUNE. 

"...  And  to  me  fell  the  hoary  sea,  to  be  my  habitation  for 
ever,  when  we  shook  the  lots."  Thus  says  Neptune  (Poseidon) 
to  Iris,  when  he  relates  the  partition  of  the  universe  among  Jupi- 
ter, Pluto,  and  himself  (II.  15.  187  ff.)  ;  and  thus  he  appears  in 
all  classical  literature  as  the  god  of  the  sea  and  watery  elements 
in  general.  Compare  F.  Q.  1.  3.  32  ;  2.  6.  10 ;  3.  4.  10 ;  7.  7.  26. 

Sometimes  Spenser  employs  the  name  Neptune  to  denote  a 
mere  personification  of  the  sea,  as  in  F.  Q.  3.  4.  32,  where  the 
surface  of  the  waves  is  called  the  back  of  Neptune  (compare  //. 
2.  159) ;  and  in  F.  Q.  3.  4.  42,  where  it  is  designated  as  the 
neck  of  Neptune  (compare  Lucret.  2.  472). 

In  F.  Q.  3.  11.  40  we  have  a  striking  and  elaborate  picture  of 
the  god  of  the  seas ;  he  is  seated  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  four 
great  "hippodames,"  and  in  his  hand  he  wields  a  trident.  In 
regard  to  the  hippodames,  the  Century  Dictionary  may  be  cited 
in  support  of  the  probability  that  Spenser  had  in  mind  the  hippo- 
campus, a  sea-monster  on  which  the  sea-gods,  and  especially  Nep- 
tune, rode.  See  Strab.  384,  and  compare  Philostratus  774.  The 
trident  is  the  familiar  attribute  of  Neptune.  The  whole  picture 
may  have  been  suggested  to  our  poet  by  ^En.  1.  142  ff.,  where  the 
god  is  described  as  riding  upon  the  waves  in  his  chariot,  drawn 
by  steeds,  the  trident  in  his  hand ;  but  it  is  consistent  with  the 
representations  of  Neptune  in  art  also.  See  Paus.  2.  1,  a  passage 
describing  the  statues  before  the  temple  of  Poseidon  at  Corinth. 

For  the  contest  between  Neptune  and  Minerva  over  the  nam- 
ing of  Athens  (Mui.  306  ff.),  see  Arachne. 

In  F.  Q.  3.  8.  30  the  mighty  herd  of  Neptune  in  charge  of 
Proteus,  the  shepherd  of  the  seas,  is  mentioned.  This  passage  is 
undoubtedly  derived  from  those  verses  of  the  Odyssey  (4.  384  ff.) 
which  describe  Proteus  and  his  flock ;  whence  it  appears  that  the 
herd  was  composed  of  phocce,  or  seals,  or  —  as  Spenser  calls  them 
farther  on  —  phocas. 

When  the  Medway  and  the  Thames  were  united,  an  impos- 
ing marriage-feast  was  held  in  the  house  of  Proteus,  to  which 
came  a  numerous  company  of  sea-gods,  with  their  offspring 
(F.  Q.  4.  11.  8  ff.).  At  the  head  of  this  august  procession  were 
Neptune  and  his  bride,  the  lovely  Amphitrite.  See  Amphitrite. 


SPENSEB'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  89 

But  the  affections  of  the  variable  god  of  the  seas  were  not  con- 
fined to  one.  In  F.  Q.  4.  9.  23  and  3.  11.  42,  his  love  for  Arne, 
the  daughter  of  ^Eolus,  is  cited.  For  this  and  the  other  immedi- 
ate references  to  the  loves  of  Neptune,  see  under  the  several  names. 
The  "  great  equipage  Which  from  great  Neptune  do  derive 
their  parentage,"  and  which  are  enumerated  in  F.  Q.  4.  11.  13  ff., 
are  considered  under  the  heads  of  Sea-Gods  and  Founders  of 
Nations. 

NEREIDS. 

To  the  wedding  of  the  Medway  and  the  Thames  came  the 
fifty  Nereids,  daughters  of  Nereus  and  Doris  (F.  Q.  4.  11.  48  ff.). 
In  the  number  of  these  nymphs  Spenser  follows  Hesiod,  who 
mentions  fifty  (Theog.  243  ff.) ;  Homer  names  only  thirty-three 
(//.  18.  39  ff.),  and  Apollodorus,  forty-five  (1.  2.  7).  For 
the  names,  also,  Spenser  is  indebted  to  Hesiod  in  all  but  two 
instances :  in  place  of  Thoe  and  Cymatolege,  Spenser  gives  Phao 
and  Poris,  names  which  are  not  given  in  the  lists  of  either 
Homer  or  Apollodorus,  nor  are  they  mentioned  by  any  ancient 
author,  so  far  as  is  known.  They  are,  then,  probably  original 
with  Spenser  himself.  The  nymph  Eudora  of  Hesiod  and  Apol- 
lodorus appears  in  Spenser  as  Endore.  According  to  Upton  this 
is  a  misprint. 

In  regard  to  the  epithets  employed,  Spenser  follows  no  origi- 
nal with  exactness.  While  Apollodorus  employs  no  epithets  to 
describe  the  Nereids,  Homer  but  three,  and  Hesiod  not  more  than 
fourteen,  Spenser  lavishes  adjectives  or  descriptive  phrases  upon 
all  but  five.  The  following  lists  will  show  the  instances  in  which 
Spenser  agrees  with  or  varies  from  Hesiod  in  this  matter :  — 

SPENSER.  HESIOO. 

White  hand  Eunica poSoirrtxvs 

Joyous  Thalia e'pdco-cra 

Sweete  Melita \apieaaa 

Milkewhite  Galatea .  cvei^s 

Speedy  Hippothoe epdecrcra 

And  she  that  with  her  least  word K.viJ.oS6Krj  ff,  $  KVHO.T' 

can  asswage  The  surging  seas,  tv  rjfpoeiSei  -novrta 

when  they  do  sorest  rage,  -avoids  re  £a0eW  di-e/iwi/ 

Cymodoce,  aw  Kv/ua.ToA»jyf/ 

"Peta  TTprjui/ei  ical 

Goodly  Amphitrite ev<r<f>utp<p  'A/u.</HTpiT7j 


90  SPENSEH'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

SPENSER.  HESIOD. 

And,  seeming  still  to  smile,  Glauconome   .     .    .  </>tAofi/i«iS>js 

Fresh  Aliuieda  deckt  with  girlond  greene  .    .    .  cvorc^apot 

Hyponeo  with  salt-bedewed  wrests poSonrixvs 

And  Psamathe  [much  praised]  for  her  brode 

snowy  brests \apiftra-a  fie>as 

And  she  that  virtue  loves  and ^VTJI/  T  eparri  KOL 

vice  detests,  Euarna  e'Sos  a/ic<o/xos 

Menippe  true  in  trust Sir; 

And  Nemertea  learned  well  to >)  Trarpbs  e^ei  voov 

rule  her  lust.  aOavdroio. 

After  summing  up  the  Nereids  (F.  Q.  4.  11.  52)  Spenser 
says  :  — 

And  yet,  besides,  three  thousand  more  there  were 
Of  th'  Oceans  seede,  but  Joves  and  Phoebus  kinde; 
The  which  in  floods  and  fountains  doe  appere, 
And  all  mankinde  do  nourish  with  their  waters  clere. 

That  is,  he  means  to  say  that  although  the  native  element  of 
these  nymphs  is  the  water,  yet  in  their  rank  and  character  they 
are  associated  with  Zeus  and  Apollo.  In  support  of  this  may 
be  cited  such  passages  as  11.  20.  8,  where  the  nymphs  are  repre- 
sented as  present  at  one  of  the  Olympic  assemblies  with  Zeus 
and  the  other  gods ;  also,  on  account  of  the  prophetic  power 
which  certain  fountains  were  supposed  to  confer  on  those  who 
drank  of  them,  the  nymphs  who  inhabited  them  were  regarded 
as  endowed  with  oracular  power.  Thus  is  Spenser  justified  in 
saying  that  they  are  of  the  same  nature  with  Phoebus.  In  sup- 
port of  this  see  Paus.  4.  27. 

NEREIS. -V.  G.  71. 

A  patronymic  from  Nereus,  one  of  the  Nereids,  daughters 
of  Nereus. 

NEREUS. 

This  sea-god  is  called  by  our  poet  "  th'  eldest  and  the  best " 
of  the  children  of  Ocean  and  Tethys  (F.  Q.  4.  11.  18),  and  is 
further  described  as  possessed  of  an  upright  character,  and  en- 
dowed with  the  gift  of  prophecy.  This  passage  is  an  amplifica- 
tion of  Theog.  233  ff. ;  although  Hesiod  says  that  Nereus  was 
born  of  Ocean  and  Earth,  rather  than  of  Ocean  and  Tethys, 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  91 

who  were  the  parents  of  numerous  rivers,  and  so  considered  by 
Spenser  in  this  passage.  It  appears  from  Hesiod  that  Nereus 
was  the  firstborn  of  his  parents,  and  was  respected  for  his  "wise 
moderation,  an  indirect  allusion  to  his  prophetic  genius.  Horace 
devotes  one  of  his  odes  to  the  prophecy  of  Nereus  concerning 
the  fall  of  Troy  (Corm.  1.  15),  and  other  cases  of  his  foretelling 
the  future  might  be  mentioned. 

Nereus  became  by  Doris  the  father  of  fifty  Xereids  (F.  Q.  4. 
11.  52),  among  whom  is  mentioned  Thetis,  as  also  in  V.  G.  62. 
See  Doris  and  Nereids. 

In  F.  Q.  3.  4.  19  he  is  mentioned  as  the  father  of  Cymoent. 

As  a  god  of  the  sea,  he  appears  in  F.  B.  13,  and  in  F.  Q. 
1.  3.  31,  the  grateful  sailor,  safe  returned  to  port,  crowns  the  god 
with  cups. 

NES.S3A.— F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
NESO.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  60.    See  Nereids. 
TJTP.TTT.-F.ns  _  Y.  G.  22.    See  Nyctelius. 

NTNTJS.  —  F.  q.  1.  5.  48;  2.  9.  21;  2.  9.  56;  B.  T.  611. 

Ninus  and  his  wife  Semiramis,  the  reputed  founders  of  the 
Assyrian  empire,  must  be  regarded  as  mythical  characters.  Dio- 
dorus  Siculus  (2.  1  ff.)  relates  the  numerous  wars  of  this  king ; 
his  conquests  were  so  great  that  Spenser  is  warranted  in  saying 
that  he  was  "  of  all  the  world  obeyed." 

Diodorus  says  Semiramis  was  the  founder  of  Babylon  (tower 
of  Babel,  Spenser)  but  the  achievements  of  Ninus  and  his  wife 
are  so  closely  connected  as  to  warrant  Spenser  in  attributing  this 
work  to  Xinus.  Diodorus  mentions  the  Assyrian  bitumen  abound- 
ing in  the  region  around  Babylon,  of  which  the  walls  of  the  city 
were  built.  Spenser,  it  will  be  noticed,  somewhat  carelessly  calls 
this  "  ^Egyptian  slime." 

NIOBE.  -F.  Q.  4.  7.  30;  5.  10.  7  ;  S.  C.  Apr.  87. 

These  passages  may  all  be  explained  in  the  light  of  Met.  6. 
146  ff.,  which  relates  that  Xiobe,  the  mother  of  seven  sons  and 
as  many  daughters,  showed  contempt  for  Latona,  the  mother  of 
but  two  children,  Apollo  and  Diana.  In  punishment  for  this, 


92  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

Latona's  children  killed  all  the  offspring  of  Niobe,  and  she  herself 
was  turned  into  a  rock. 

NYCTELIUS.— Y.  G.  22. 

A  name  of  Bacchus  ;  it  was  given  to  him  because  his  orgies 
were  celebrated  at  night.  Serv.  JEn.  4.  383. 

OGYGES.  —  F.  Q.  3.  8.  30.    See  Founders  of  Nations. 
CENONE.-F.  Q.  3.  9.  36;  6.  9.  36. 

She  was  a  river-nymph  of  Mt.  Ida,  whom  Paris  married 
while  still  a  shepherd,  and  before  he  was  acknowledged  as  the  son 
of  Priam.  Together  they  lived  a  simple  pastoral  life,  until  their 
happiness  was  ended  by  the  judgment  which  Paris  made  concern- 
ing the  relative  beauty  of  Juno,  Minerva,  and  Venus,  —  a  decision 
which  gave  Helen  to  Paris,  and  brought  on  the  Trojan  War. 

The  perfidy  of  Paris  wounded  (En  one,  and  Ovid  embodies 
her  protests  in  the  form  of  a  letter  (Her.  5).  See  Apoll.  3.  12.6 
for  a  statement  of  the  simple  facts. 

It  was  said  that  Paris  had  a  son,  Corythus,  by  GEnone  (Tzet. 
Lye.  57),  and  Spenser  skillfully  calls  him  Parius,  and  makes  him 
the  progenitor  of  Paridell.  See  also  Apollo. 

OPS.  — F.  Q.  7.  7.  26. 

Spenser  mentions  Ops  as  the  goddess  of  the  earth,  a  state- 
ment authorized  by  Macrobius,  who  says  that  Ops  was  regarded 
as  the  wife  of  Saturn,  "  quos,  etiam  nonnullis  cselum  ac  terram  esse 
persuasum  est,  Saturnumque  a  satu  dictum,  cuius  causa  de  cselo 
est,  et  terram  opem,  cuius  ope  humanse  vitse  alimenta  quaeruntur, 
vel  ab  opere  per  quod  fructus  frugesque  nascuntur." —  Sat.  1.  10. 
20. 

ORCUS.  — F.  Q.  2.  12.  41;  6.  12.  26. 

The  ancients  use  this  name  to  signify  both  the  Infernal 
Regions  and  a  god  of  Hell,  synonymous  with  Pluto. 

Spenser,  in  both  these  passages,  speaks  of  Orcus  as  a  grim, 
inexorable  divinity.  Compare  11.  9. 158,  where  he  is  described  as 
so  implacable  that  in  the  eyes  of  mortals  he  is  the  most  hateful  of 
the  gods  ;  and  Horace,  Carm.  2.  3,  where  he  is  said  to  be  pitiless. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  93 

ORESTES — F.  Q.  4.  10.  27. 

Among  the  celebrated  friendships  named  iu  this  passage, 
that  of  Pylades  and  Orestes  is  cited.  The  Orestes  of  Euripides 
brings  out  the  strength  and  beauty  of  their  devotion  to  each  other 
in  a  conversation  between  the  two  friends,  when  Orestes  is  facing 
the  wrath  of  the  Argives  over  the  murder  of  his  mother.  Orestes 
hails  Pylades  as  the  partner  of  his  soul ;  and  Pylades  asks :  — 

.  .  .  "Where  shall  friendship  show  its  faith, 
If  now  in  thy  afflictions  I  forsake  thee? 
ORION. 

.  .  .  And  now  in  Ocean  deep 
Orion,  flying  fast  from  hissing  snake, 
His  flaming  head  did  hasten  for  to  steep. 

F.  Q.  2.  2.  46. 

This  poetical  description  of  the  setting  of  Orion  rests  upon 
the  myth  concerning  his  death.  All  authorities  agree  as  to  his 
life :  it  was  that  of  a  hunter  devoted-  to  the  same  pursuit  that 
Diana  loved ;  but  there  is  not  the  same  agreement  as  regards 
his  death.  Hyginus  (Fab.  195)  says  simply  that  he  was  killed 
by  Diana  because  of  an  attempt  to  violate  her.  Ovid  (Fast. 
5.  537)  relates  that,  after  Orion  had  boasted  that  there  was 
no  wild  beast  which  he  was  unable  to  conquer,  the  earth  sent 
forth  a  scorpion,  which  attempted  to  seize  upon  Latona.  Orion, 
opposing  it,  was  killed,  and  Latona  added  him  to  the  num- 
ber of  the  stars.  According  to  Homer  (Od.  5.  121)  Aurora 
incurred  the  anger  of  Diana  by  her  love  for  Orion,  and  in  ven- 
geance Diana  pierced  him  with  her  arrows.  Apollodorus  (1.  4. 
5)  says  that  he  was  killed  by  the  darts  of  Diana,  either  for  chal- 
lenging her  to  a  game  of  discus,  or  for  violating  Opis.  It  will 
be  seen  that  with  no  one  of  these  accounts  does  Spenser  exactly 
agree.  He  says  :  — 

Upon  a  dreadful  scorpion  he  did  ride, 
The  same  which  by  Dianaes  doom  unjust 
Slew  great  Orion. 

F.  Q.  7.  7.  39. 

For  such  an  account  of  his  death  we  must  turn  to  Lucan  9. 
836.  See  also  Serv.  JEn.  1.  539. 

Hyginus  (Poet.  Astron.  2.  Scorpius)  says  that  the  scorpion  in 
the  heavens  is  the  one  which  the  earth  produced  in  defiance  of 


94  SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

Orion's  boast,  and  that  Jupiter  admitted  it  to  the  number  of  the 
stars  that  it  might  ever  serve  as  a  warning  to  men  against  too 
great  self-confidence.  He  further  adds  that  Diana  obtained  from 
Jupiter  the  favor  that  when  the  scorpion  rose  Orion  should  set. 

In  F.  Q.  1.  3.  31  we  have  a  reference  to  fierce  Orion's  hound. 
This  is  the  dog-star,  which  Hyginus  says  (Poet.  Astron.  2.  Canis) 
was  according  to  some  accounts  the  dog  of  the  hunter  Orion. 

For  F.  Q.  4.  11.  13,  see  Sea-Gods. 

ORPHEUS. 

What  has  already  been  said  of  Linus,  who  is  mentioned  as 
a  poet  in  connection  with  Orpheus  (R.  T.  333),  will  apply  to 
Orpheus,  only  that,  in  the  group  of  half-historical  and  half- 
mythological  characters  to  which  they  both  belong,  Orpheus,  the 
reputed  inventor  of  music,  is  the  more  important.  Many  are 
the  works  attributed  to  him,  some  of  which  are  genuine  and 
some  spurious. 

Among  the  scant  earlier  traditions  respecting  Orpheus,  is 
that  which  represents  the  wonderful  power  of  his  music  over 
men,  beasts,  and  inanimate  nature.  Spenser  refers  to  this  in 
F.  Q.  4.2.1;  R.  T.  607 ;  V.  G.  23 ;  Am.  44.  For  the  special  ref- 
erence to  his  allaying  the  discord  among  the  followers  of  Jason, 
see  Argonautic  Expedition.  Numerous  passages,  from  the  time 
of  the  lyric  poets  of  Greece  down  to  a  much  later  day,  might  be 
quoted  to  support  the  general  references;  but  perhaps  no  one 
better  shows  that  his  music  had  charms  than  Mel.  10.  86  ff., 
where  trees  and  beasts  and  birds  are  described  as  flocking  about 
the  tuneful  bard,  when,  in  his  retirement  among  the  mountains, 
he  mourns  the  loss  of  his  wife. 

But  the  power  of  his  lyre  was  not  confined  to  the  upper 
world ;  with  it  Orpheus  dared  to  invade  the  realms  of  Hades  in 
order  to  recover  his  beloved  Eurydice  to  life,  and  by  its  spell  the 
Stygian  powers  were  appeased.  This  incident  is  enlarged  upon 
in  V.  G.  55  ff.,  with  which  passage  should  be  compared  the  more 
detailed  and  poetical  accounts  in  Georg.  4.  454  ff.  and  Met.  10.  797 
ff.  See  also  F.  Q.  4.  10.  58;  H.  L.  231;  Ep.  16;  and  R.  T.  391, 
where  Spenser  says  that  the  temporary  recovery  of  Eurydice  was 
by  favor  of  the  Muses.  This  is  most  appropriate,  for  the  ancients 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY.  95 

believed  Orpheus  to  have  been  the  child  of  Calliope,  and  the 
special  care  of  Apollo  and  the  Muses  (Hyg.  Poet.  Astron.  2. 
Lyra). 

ORSILOCHUS.  —  F.  Q.  3.  4.  2.    See  Camilla. 
ORTHRUS.  —  F.  Q.  5.  10.  10.    See  Geryon. 
OSIRIS.  —  F.  Q.  5.  7.  2.    See  Isis. 
OTHTJS.  —  V.  G.  47.    See  Ephialtes. 
P^EON.  —  F.  Q.  3.  4.  41.    See  Apollo. 
PALEMON.  — F.  q.  4.  11.  13.    See  Sea-Gods. 
PALES. -V.  G.  4;  15. 

A  Roman  divinity  of  shepherds.     Compare  Fast.  4.  721  ff. 
•pAT.T.AS.—  Mini.  262  ff.    See  Arachne. 

PAIiICI. 

Nor  since  that  faire  Calliope  did  lose 
Her  loved  Twinnes,  the  dearlings  of  her  joy, 
Her  Palici,  whom  her  unkindly  foes, 
The  fatall  Sisters,  did  for  spight  destroy, 
"Whom  all  the  Muses  did  bewaile  long  space, 
Was  ever  heard  such  wayling  in  this  place. 

T.  M.  15  S. 

An  examination  of  ancient  authorities  reveals  the  fact  that 
Spenser  has  erred  in  the  mythology  of  this  passage.  The  Palici 
were  indeed  twins,  but  the  sons  of  Zeus  and  Thalia  —  not,  how- 
ever, the  Muse  Thalia,  but  a  nymph,  the  daughter  of  Hephaestus 
—  a  presumable  confusion,  which  resulted  in  the  further  confu- 
sion of  the  Muse  Calliope  with  Thalia. 

In  the  Saturnalia  of  Macrobius  (5.  19.  16  ff.),  there  is  a 
lengthy  discussion  of  the  Palici,  from  which  it  appears  that 
Thalia,  out  of  fear  of  the  anger  of  Juno,  implored  the  earth  to 
swallow  her.  Her  request  was  granted,  and  in  due  time  there 
issued  from  the  earth  the  twin  sons  of  Zeus  and  Thalia.  They 
were  called  Palici,  "  anb  TOV  ir<i\<.v  Uea-eai,  quoniam  prius  in  terra  im- 
mcrsi  denuo  inde  reversi  sunt."  They  were  worshiped  in  Sicily. 

PAN.  — F.  Q.  2.  9.  40.    S.  C.  Jan.  17  ;  Apr.  51;  May  64,  111;  June  30,68; 
Nov.  8;  Dec.  7,  46. 

Since  Pan  was  the  god  of  sheep  and  shepherds,  we  should 
naturally  expect  to'find  his  name  often  mentioned  on  the  pages 


96  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

of  a  pastoral  poem  like  the  Shepheard's  Calender.  It  is  the  case 
with  the  Eclogues  of  Virgil  and  also  the  Idyls  of  Theocritus, 
after  which  the  Shepheard's  Calender  was  avowedly  patterned. 

Sometimes  Spenser  used  the  name  for  that  of  Christ :  thus 
E.  K.  says  in  one  of  his  notes :  "  Great  Pan  is  Christ,  the  veiy 
God  of  all  shepherds,  which  calleth  himself  the  '  greate,  and  good 
shepherd.'  The  name  is  most  rightly  (methinks)  applyed  to 
him ;  for  Pan  signifieth  all,  or  omnipotent,  which  is  only  the 
Lord  Jesus." 

There  are  several  references  to  Pan's  sporting  in  song  and 
dance  with  the  nymphs,  which  are  thoroughly  consistent  with  the 
characterization  of  this  rollicking  god  in  the  Horn.  Hymn  to  Pan. 

In  S.  C.  Jan.  17,  Colin  Clout  thus  invokes  Pan  :  — 

And,  Pan,  thou  shepheards  God,  that  once  didst  love, 
Pitie  the  paines  that  thou  thyselfe  didst  prove. 

This  is  a  reference  to  Pan's  unavailing  love  for  Syrinx,  men- 
tioned also  in  Apr.  51.  Ovid  (Met.  1.  689  ff.)  says  that  Syrinx 
was  a  Naiad  who  had  devoted  her  virginity  to  Diana.  When  Pan 
became  enamored  of  her,  she  fled  from  him  to  the  river  Ladon, 
in  Arcadia,  and  besought  help  from  the  nymphs  of  that  stream. 
They  met  her  entreaties  with  the  desired  metamorphosis,  and 
Syrinx  was  changed  into  reeds.  And  here  the  origin  of  the 
shepherd's  flute,  or  syrinx,  is  poetically  accounted  for :  Pan  seized 
what  he  supposed  to  be  his  beloved  Syrinx,  but  what  proved  to 
be  only  reeds  of  the  marsh.  As  he  held  them  in  despair,  the 
wind  sighed  among  them,  as  if  it  too  were  lamenting  the  unre- 
quited love  of  the  god.  Immediately  Pan  was  charmed  by  the 
sound,  and  vowed  that  henceforth  that  should  be  his  mode  of 
communicating  with  the  vanished  nymph. 

It  is  said  that  Pan  became  so  elated  with  the  music  of  this 
pipe  that  he  dared  challenge  even  Phoebus  to  a  contest,  a  myth 
already  referred  to  under  Apollo. 

F.  Q.  2.  9.  40  contains  a  reference  to  a  myth  which  is  usually 
only  hinted  at  in  an  obscure  way  in  the  classics :  according  to 
Schol.  Theoc.  Idyl  2.  17,  Echo  bore  to  Pan  a  daughter  named 
lynx,  who,  for  trying  to  practice  her  love-charms  upon  Jove,  was 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY.  97 

changed  by  Juno  into  the  wry-neck  (Lat.  iynx)  — a  bird  used  by 
the  ancients  in  conjurations  and  love-charms  (see  Find.  Pyih. 
4.  380). 

It  is  evident,  however,  that  it  is  not  the  wry-neck,  but  more 
probably  the  cuckoo,  that  Spenser  has  in  mind  here ;  and  it  will 
be  noticed  also  that  our  poet  makes  Pan,  rather  than  Juno,  re- 
sponsible for  the  metamorphosis. 

PANDIONIAN  (maids).  — V.  G.  61.    Seeltys. 
PANDORA.  — T.  M.  678;  B.  E.  19.;  Am.  24. 

When  Spenser,  after  the  manner  of  the  Elizabethans,  would 
offer  his  tribute  of  flattery  to  his  sovereign,  he  calls  her  "  the  true 
Pandora  of  all  heavenly  graces,"  having  in  mind  the  meaning  of 
the  name  —  the  all-gifted  one. 

When  Jove  wished  to  destroy  the  peace  of  man,  says  Hesiod 
(Theog.  571  ff . ;  W.  and  D.  60  ff.),  he  ordered  Vulcan  to  make 
Pandora  the  type  of  all  the  fair  sex.  Endowed  by  the  immortals 
with  various  charms,  she  allures  man  only  to  prove  his  bane  :  she 
is  the  drone,  while  man  is  the  bee.  It  must  have  been  this  pes- 
simistic wail  of  the  old  poet  that  Spenser  had  in  mind  when,  in 
Am.  24,  he  says  :  — 

I  thinke  that  I  a  new  Pandora  see 
"Whom  all  the  Gods  in  councell  did  agree 
Into  this  sinfull  world  from  heaven  to  send ; 
That  she  to  wicked  men  a  scourge  should  hee, 
For  all  their  faults  with  which  they  did  offend. 

In  R.  R.  19  there  is  a  reference  to  the  famous  box  of  Pan- 
dora. Hesiod  says  it  contained  all  the  ills  to  which  flesh  is  heir, 
while  other  writers  say  it  held  only  blessings ;  but  when  Pandora 
opened  the  box  they  escaped,  thus,  by  their  absence,  proving  to  be 
ills.  In  the  passage  under  consideration,  the  box  which  is  likened 
to  Pandora's  contains  both  good  and  bad  fortune. 

PANOPE.  -  F.  q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 

In  F.  Q.  3.  8.  37  ff.,  the  name  is  given  to  an  aged  nymph 
who  keeps  the  house  for  Proteus  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  — 
seemingly  an  instance  of  Spenser's  original  mythology. 


98  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

PARIS.  -F.   Q.  2.  7.  85;  3.  9.   34;    4.  11.  19;  6.  9.  36;   T.   G.  67.     See 

Helen  ;  CEnone ;  Achilles. 

PASIPHAE.  — F.  Q.  3.  2.  41. 

This  reference  to  the  passion  of  Pasiphae,  the  wife  of  Minos, 
and  mother  of  the  Minotaur,  is  explained  by  Apoll.  3.  1.  4.  and 
Hyg.  Fab.  40. 

PASITHEA.-F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
PEGASUS.  — F.  Q.  3.  11.  42;   R.  T.  426  ff. 

For  the  parentage  of  Pegasus,  see  Medusa. 

Then,  who  so  will  with  vertuous  deeds  assay 
To  mount  to  heaven,  on  Pegasus  must  ride, 

And  with  sweete  Poets  verse  be  glorifide. 

R.  T.  426. 

The  idea  which  associates  Pegasus  with  the  Muses  as  patrons 
of  poetry,  which  in  our  day  is  embodied  in  the  expression  "to 
mount  Pegasus,"  arose  from  the  myth  concerning  the  fount  of 
Hippocrene  on  Helicon,  which,  it  was  said,  was  produced  by  the 
striking  of  the  hoof  of  Pegasus  against  the  ground,  when,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  universal  delight  over  the  singing  of  the  Muses, 
he  was  hidden  by  Poseidon  to  arrest  the  upward  movement  of 
Helicon.  See  Paus.  9.  31  ;  Stat.  Theb.  4.  60.  For  the  reference 
to  the  winged  steed  in  R.  T.  646,  see  Andromeda. 

PELEUS.  — F.  Q.  6.  10.  22;  7.  7.  12;  V.  G.  61  ff. 

These  passages  all  refer  to  the  marriage  of  Peleus,  the  son  of 
JEacus,  and  Thetis,  the  daughter  of  Nereus,  in  support  of  which 
see  Iliad,  passim;  Apoll.  3.  13.  5;  Met.  11.  217  ff . ;  Catullus, 
Nupt.  Pel.  et  Thet.  It  should  be  noticed  that,  whereas  Apollodorus 
says  the  marriage  occurred  on  Mt.  Pelion,  Ovid  says  it  was  by  the 
bay  of  Hsemonia  —  a  name  which,  it  is  possible,  Spenser  had  in 
mind  when,  in  the  second  passage  referred  to,  he  says  the  nuptials 
were  celebrated  on  Mt.  Haemus.  As  to  the  "  spousall  hymne,"  see 
Apollo. 

PETJAS.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  14.    See  Sea-Gods. 
PENELOPE.  — F.  q.  6.  7.  39;  V.  G.  64  ;  Am.  23. 

These  references  to  Penelope,  the  classical  type  of  constancy; 
to  the  web  which  she  devised  to  put  off  her  suitors ;  and  to  her  final 
reunion  with  Ulysses,  —  are  all  taken  from  the  Odyssey,  passim. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  99 

PENTHESHjEA.  -  F.  Q.  3.  4.  2. 

Spenser  here  says  that  Homer  refers  to  the  bold  feats  of 
Penthesilea ;  this,  however,  is  not  true,  unless  we  take  Homer  in 
a  very  broad  sense  to  include  certain  extensions  of  his  works,  like 
the  writings  of  Quintus  Calaber.  This  author  has  much  to  say 
of  Penthesilea  and  her  Amazons  (1.  18  ff.). 

For  the  death  of  Penthesilea,  see  Amazons. 

PERSEPHONE.  — T.  M.  164;  V.  6.  63.    See  Proserpina. 
PERSEUS.  —  B.  T.  648.    See  Andromeda. 

PHAETON.  -  F.  Q.  5.  8.  40 ;  V.  6.  25. 

The  myth  of  Phaeton,  whom  his  father  Phoebus,  in  token  of 
his  paternity,  allowed  to  drive  the  horses  of  the  sun,  is  here  cited. 
It  is  the  subject  of  an  extensive  passage  in  the  Metamorphoses 
(1.  748  ff.),  to  which  Spenser  was,  no  doubt,  indebted.  When, 
through  the  careless  driving  of  Phaeton,  the  world  seemed  in 
danger  of  being  consumed,  Jupiter  struck  him  with  a  thunder- 
bolt ;  Phaeton,  falling  into  the  river  Po,  was  henceforth  mourned 
by  his  sisters,  who  were  transformed  to  poplar-trees.  Ovid,  like 
Spenser,  mentions  the  fright  which  the  scorpion  caused,  but  says 
it  was  Phaeton,  not  the  horses,  who  was  thus  excited.  See  also 
T.  M.  7. 

PHAO.  — F.  Q.  3.  2.  20. 

Not  a  character  from  classical  mythology.  See  note  on  this 
passage  in  Child's  edition  of  Spenser :  "  The  story  of  this 
tower  is  apparently  derived  from  some  mediaeval  legend  about 
the  Pharos  of  Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  in  which,  perhaps,  Phao 
took  the  place  of  the  historical  Arsinoe.  The  king  was,  no 
doubt,  confounded  with  Ptolemy  the  Astronomer,  who,  says 
Warton,  'was  famous  among  the  Eastern  writers  and  their  fol- 
lowers for  his  skill  in  operations  of  glass.'  " 

PHAO. -F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
PHERUSA.-F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
PHILOMELA.  —  T.  M.    236.    See  Itys. 


100  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

PHLEGETHON. 

A  river  bounding  Tartarus,  with  waves  of  torrent  fire  (^Era. 
6.  551).  Compare  F.  Q.  1.  5.  33  ;  2.  6.  50;  V.  G.  56;  78. 

According  to  F.  Q.  4.  2.  1.,  Discord  is  appropriately  de- 
scribed as  a  firebrand  kindled  in  Phlegethon.  Compare  F.  Q. 
2.  5.  22. 

For  F.  Q.  2.  4.  41,  see  Erebus. 

PHCEAX.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  15.    See  Founders  of  Nations. 

PHCEBE.  —  F.  Q.  1.  7.  5;  2.  2.  44;  8.  6.  24 ;  4.  5.  14;  7.  6.  21;  S.  C.  Apr. 
65;  Jane  31 ;  July  63  ;  Dec.  84  ;  Co.  Cl.  342  ;  Ep.  149.  See  Diana. 

PHCEBUS.—  F.Q.I.  Int.  4;  1.  1.  23;  1.  2.  1;  1.  2.  29;  1.4.  9;  1.6.  2;  1. 
5.  20 ;  1.  5.  44  ;  1.  6.  6 ;  1.  7.  29  ;  1.  7.  34 ;  1.  11.  5 ;  1.  11.  31 ;  1.  12. 
2 ;  2.  8.  5 ;  2.  9.  10 ;  2.  9.  48  ;  2.  10.  3 ;  2.  11.  19 ;  2.  12.  62  ;  3.  2.  24  ; 
8.  3.  4 ;  3.  5.  27  ;  3.  6.  2  ;  3.  6.  44  ;  3.  6.  45  ;  3.  10.  1 ;  3.  10.  45 ;  3. 
11.  36 ;  4.  6.  1 ;  4.  11.  52 ;  5.  3.  19 ;  5.  11.  62 ;  6.  3.  29 ;  7.  6.  35 ; 
7.  6.  39 ;  7.  7.  12 ;  7.  7.  51 ;  S.  C.  Jan.  73 ;  Apr.  73 ;  June  68 ;  Aug. 
83 ;  Oct.  3.  NOT.  14 ;  T.  M.  7  ;  330 ;  V.  6.  2 ;  7  ;  21 ;  78 ;  84 ;  Mui. 
79;  V.  W.  V.  2;  Ep.  77;  121.  See  Apollo. 

PHOENIX. —F.  Q.  4.  11.  15.    See  Founders  of  Nations. 

PHOLOE.  — F.  Q.  1.  6.  15. 

Pholoe  is  here  alluded  to  as  a  nymph  beloved  by  Silvanus. 
The  name  belongs  primarily  to  a  mountain  in  Arcadia  which  was 
frequented  by  Pan  (Fast.  2.  273),  and,  according  to  classic  usage, 
might  be  transferred  to  an  Oread,  or  nymph  inhabiting  the 
mountain.  In  making  her  the  beloved  of  Silvanus,  Spenser  is 
only  carrying  out  the  frequent  classical  identifications  of  the 
rustic  divinities,  Silvanus  and  Pan. 

PHORCYS.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  13.    See  Sea-Gods. 
PHRIXUS.  —  F.  Q.  5.  Int.  6.    See  Helle. 
PHRYGIAN  (mother).  — B.  B.  6.    See  Cybele. 

PIRITHOUS.  —  F.  Q.  4.  10.  27. 

The  friendship  between  Theseus  and  Pirithous  was  pro- 
verbial among  the  ancients.  Thus  Ovid  speaks  of  it  as  "  felix 
concordia  "  (Met.  8.  303). 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL 

PLUTO. 

The  Infernal  Regions  are  referred  to  as  the  bower  or  house 
of  Pluto  in  F.  Q.  1.  5.  14 ;  1.  5.  32  ;  2.  7.  21 ;  2.  7.  24 ;  4.  3.  13 ; 
S.  C.  Oct.  29.  Since  he  was  the  king  of  the  Lower  World,  this 
designation  is  appropriate.  Compare  II.  15.  188 ;  jEn.  6,  passim. 
F.  Q.  2.  7.  21  ff.,  which  describes  the  beings  sitting  before  the 
realm  of  Pluto,  is  copied  after  JEn.  6.  273  ff. :  "  Just  before  the 
porch  and  in  the  opening  of  the  jaws  of  Orcus,  Grief  and  Aven- 
ging Pains  have  set  their  couch  ;  and  there  ghastly  Diseases  dwell," 
etc. 

Pluto  is  further  mentioned  as  the  husband  of  Proserpina  in 
F.  Q.  1.  1.  37;  1.  4.  11,  for  which  see  Proserpina;  also  as  the 
master  of  Cerberus  in  -F.  Q.  6.  12.  35,  for  which  see  Cerberus. 

PODAURIUS.  -  F.  Q.  6.  6.  1. 

Homer  (//.  2.  732)  says  that  Podalirius  and  Machaon  were 
two  excellent  physicians,  sons  of  ^Esculapius.  Ovid  (A.  A.  2.  735) 
says :  "  As  great  as  was  Podalirius  among  the  Greeks  in  the  art 
of  healing,  ....  so  great  a  lover  am  I." 

POLYNOME.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  60.    See  Nereida. 
PONTOPOREA.-F.  Q.  4.  11.  60.    See  Nereids. 
PORIS.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
PROCRUSTES.— F.  Q.  7.  6.  29. 

This  reference  to  Procrustes  as  among  those  who  had  been 
too  presumptuous  in  their  aspirations,  and,  thus  offending  Jupiter, 
were  punished  by  him,  is  not  at  all  to  the  point.  Procrustes  was 
a  robber  of  Attica,  who  waylaid  strangers  and  stretched  them 
upon  a  bed ;  if  they  were  too  long  or  too  short,  he  adjusted  mat- 
ters by  cutting  off  or  stretching  out  their  limbs.  This  monster 
met  his  fate  at  the  hands  of  Theseus,  and  is,  therefore,  merely  an 
example  of  a  criminal  deservedly  punished ;  and  so,  as  said  above, 
the  circumstances  of  his  life  and  death  do  not  warrant  Spenser  in 
introducing  him  in  this  particular  connection.  See  Diod.  Sic.  4. 
59.  5  ;  Hyg.  Fab.  38. 

PRIAM. 

Since  Priam  was  the  king  of  the  Trojans,  Troy  is  appropri- 
ately called  Priam's  city,  realm,  or  town  in  F.  Q.  2.  9.  48  3.  9. 


102          SPENSEft'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

36 ;  3.  9.  38  ;  4.  11.  19.    Compare  //.  1.  19  ;  22.  251 ;  JEn.  2.  191. 
For  F.  Q.  2.  3.  31,  see  Amazons. 

PROMETHEUS.  —  F.  Q.  2.  10.  70;  7.  6.  29. 

Spenser  says  that  Prometheus  created  man  from  the  organs 
of  beasts,  that  he  stole  fire  from  the  gods  to  animate  this  creation, 
and  that  he  was,  for  this  audacity,  deprived  by  Jove  of  life  (that 
is,  its  freedom). 

This  account  accords  with  the  later  rather  than  the  earlier 
classics.  Thus  Hesiod  (Theog.  53.5  ff.)  says  that  Prometheus 
tried  to  practice  deception  upon  Jove  in  the  division  of  a  sacri- 
ficial animal,  and  that  Jove,  in  his  anger,  denied  fire  to  men. 
Prometheus,  however,  secretly  stole  some  sparks  from  the  gods, 
and,  concealing  them  in  a  hollow  tube,  brought  them  to  the  earth 
for  the  use  of  man.  This  so  enraged  Jupiter  that  he  sent  Pan- 
dora as  a  scourge  to  men,  had  Prometheus  chained  to  a  pillar,  and 
sent  an  eagle  every  day  to  feed  upon  his  never-dying  liver ;  until, 
after  the  lapse  of  years,  the  hapless  Prometheus  was  released  by 
Hercules. 

The  Prometheus  of  ^Eschylus,  also,  while  not  agreeing  with 
the  account  of  Hesiod,  does  not  more  nearly  accord  with  this  pas- 
sage from  Spenser.  Neither  knows  aught  of  Prometheus  as  the 
creator  of  man,  nor  of  his  stealing  fire  to  animate  this  creation, 
although  both  support  Spenser  in  the  matter  of  the  punishment  of 
Prometheus. 

It  is  to  Latin  authorities  of  a  later  period  that  our  poet  is 
indebted  for  these  points:  thus  Ovid  (Met.  1.  76  ff.)  says  that 
Prometheus  made  man  of  earth  and  water,  but  says  nothing  of 
his  creating  him  from  the  organs  of  animals  and  animating  him 
with  fire.  Horace,  on  the  other  hand,  authorizes  the  first  of  these 

statements :  — 

Fertur  Prometheus  addere  principi 
Limo  coactus  particulam  undique 
Desectam,  et  insani  leonis 
Vim  stomacho  adposuisse  nostro. 

Carm.  \.  16. 

and  Fulgentius,  in  his  treatment  of  the  myth  of  Prometheus,  adds 
that  the  creator  of  man  stole  fire  from  the  celestial  regions  to  ani- 
mate his  work. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  103 

PRONJ3A.  -  F.  Q.  4.  11.  60.    See  Nereids. 

PROSERPINA.  —  F.  Q.  1.  2.  2;   1.  4.  11;  2.  7.  63;  3.  11.  1;  B.  T.  373; 
T.  M.  164  ;  Y.  G.  63. 

All  these  passages  refer  to  Proserpina  in  the  capacity  of 
Queen  of  Hell,  after  she  was  captured  by  Pluto,  and  borne  as  his 
bride  from  the  Upper  to  the  Lower  World.  For  the  details  of 
her  abduction,  see  the  Horn.  Hymn  to  Ceres,  and  Claudian,  De 
Raptu  Proserpince.  See  also  Od.  11,  passim;  JEn.  6.  397,  where 
die  is  referred  to  as  the  queen  of  the  grim  Pluto. 

Spenser's  description  of  the  Garden  of  Proserpina  in  F.  Q. 
2.  7.  51  ff.  is  a  finely  imagined  amplification  of  certain  sugges- 
tions in  the  classics ;  thus,  in  Odyssey  10.  508  ff.,  there  is  men- 
tioned a  grove  of  Proserpina,  at  the  utmost  western  limit  of  the 
Ocean.  It  consists  of  poplar  and  willow  trees,  and  forms  the 
entrance  to  Hell.  In  Claudian's  De  Raptu  Proserpince  290  ff., 
Pluto  describes  to  his  bride,  among  other  delights  awaiting  her  in 
Hades,  a  grove  which  is  to  be  sacred  to  her  :  — 

Est  etiam  lucis  arbor  praedives  opacis, 
Fulgentes  viridi  ramos  curvata  rnetallo. 
Haec  tibi  sacra  datur,  fortunatumque  tenebis 
Autumiium,  et  fulvis  semper  ditabere  pomis. 

This  last  passage  in  particular  probably  suggested  to  Spenser 
the  tree  laden  with  the  golden  apples,  or  perhaps  it  was  ;En.  6. 
136  ff., — lines  which  describe  the  tree  with  the  bough  of  gold 
which  was  sacred  to  Proserpina. 

PROTEUS.  — F.  Q.  1.  2.  10;  3.  4.  25  ff . ;  3.  8.  29  ff. ;  4.  11.  2  ff. ;  4.  12. 
3  ff. ;  Co.  Cl.  248. 

From  these  passages  we  learn  that  Proteus  was  the  shepherd 
of  the  seas,  who  attended  the  flocks  of  Xeptune ;  that  he  could 
change  his  form  at  will ;  that  he  was  inspired  with  the  gift  of 
prophecy ;  and  that  he  lived  in  a  huge  cave,  walled  about  by  the 
waves  of  the  sea.  His  personal  appearance  is  thus  described  :  — 

An  aged  sire  with  head  all  frory  hore, 
And  sprinckled  frost  upon  his  deawy  beard. 

All  this  is  thoroughly  consistent  with  that  passage  in  the 
Odyssey  (4.  384  ff.)  which  describes  the  prophetic  interview  which 


104  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

Proteus  granted  Telemachus,  but  only  after  trying  to  evade  it  by 
changing  himself  into  a  lion,  a  pard,  a  boar,  a  dragon,  a  stream, 
and  a  tree.  See  also  Georg.  4.  388  ff.  —  a  passage  patterned 
after  that  of  the  Odyssey. 

PHOTO.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  48.    See  Nereids. 
PROTOMED^A.  -  F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
PSAMATHE.-F.  Q.  4.  11.  61.     See  Nereids. 
PSYCHE. -F.  Q.  3.  6.  50;  Mui.  131. 

Both  these  passages  refer  to  the  story  of  Cupid  and  Psyche 
as  related  in  the  fourth  book  of  the  Metamorphoses  of  Apuleius. 
Psyche  was  a  mortal,  who,  by  her  surpassing  beauty,  excited  the 
jealousy  of  Venus.  The  goddess  commanded  her  son  Cupid  to 
curse  Psyche  with  a  love  for  the  most  wretched  of  mortals. 
Cupid  himself,  however,  fell  a  victim  to  the  charms  of  the  hapless 
Psyche,  and  visited  her  every  night,  taking  his  flight  before  day- 
break, that  she  might  not  know  who  her  lover  was.  This  state  of 
bliss  would  have  been  enduring  had  not  Psyche  violated  the  in- 
junction of  Cupid,  and  sought  to  discover  his  identity.  Bending 
over  him  with  a  lamp,  she  let  fall  a  drop  of  oil  upon  his  shoul- 
der ;  he  awoke,  and  in  anger  vanished  from  her  sight.  Here  the 
troubles  of  Psyche  began :  in  the  search  for  her  lost  love,  she  fell 
into  the  hands  of  Venus,  who  subjected  her  to  various  hardships. 
But  her  wretchedness  had  an  end ;  for  Cupid  made  an  appeal  to 
Jupiter,  who  summoned  the  gods  to  an  assembly,  and  in  pres- 
ence of  them  all  he  united  the  lovers  in  wedlock.  Moreover, 
in  order  that  they  might  be  of  equal  rank,  Jupiter  extended  to 
Psyche  a  cup  of  ambrosia,  and  bade  her  quaff  it,  with  these 
words :  "  Take  this,  Psyche,  and  be  immortal ;  nor  shall  Cupid 
ever  depart  from  your  embrace,  but  these  nuptials  of  yours  shall 
be  perpetual." 

Thus  Psyche,  the  soul,  after  enduring  the  purification  that 
hardship  and  suffering  bring,  was  elevated  to  heaven,  and  joined 
to  Love  in  everlasting  union. 

In  due  time,  the  story  relates,  a  daughter  was  born  to  them 
who  was  called  Pleasure.  Compare  H.  L.  288. 

PYLADES.  —  F.  Q.  4.  10.  27.    See  Orestes. 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.          105 

PYT.TATNT  (sire).  —  F.  Q.  2.  9.  48; 

This  is  Nestor,  whose  native  city  was  Pylos.  His  reputation 
for  sage  counsel  and  remarkable  age  is  due  principally  to  the 
Iliad  and  the  Odyssey;  for  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  Trojan 
War,  not  only  as  a  warrior  at  the  head  of  his  Pylian  forces,  but 
as  a  wise  counselor  whose  advice  was  often  sought  by  the  Greeks. 
It  was  a  common  tradition  that  he  survived  three  generations  of 
men.  Thus  Homer  (77.  1.  250  ff.)  says,  "Two  generations  of 
mortal  men  already  had  he  seen  perish,  that  had  been  of  old  time 
born  and  nurtured  with  him  in  goodly  Pylos,  and  he  was  king 
among  the  third." 

PYRACMON.-F.  Q.  4.  5.  87.  See  Brontes. 
PYRRHA.  —  F.  Q.  5.  Int.  2.  See  Deucalion. 
PYTHIAS.  —  F.  Q.  4.  10.  27. 

Diodorus  Siculus  (21.  10.  4)  tells  the  well-known  story  of 
the  friendship  between  Damon  and  Pythias  (Phintias).  When 
Pythias  had  been  condemned  to  death  for  his  share  in  a  plot 
against  Dionysius,  the  tyrant  of  Syracuse,  he  asked  for  a  respite 
of  a  few  days  that  he  might  arrange  his  business  affairs,  promis- 
ing to  secure  a  friend  who  would  serve  as  pledge,  and  who,  if  he 
himself  did  not  return  by  a  certain  time,  would  die  in  his  stead. 
Such  a  friend  was  found  in  Damon,  who,  however,  was  saved 
from  the  fulfillment  of  his  promise  by  the  opportune  arrival  of 
Pythias.  As  might  be  expected,  Dionysius  was  so  filled  with 
admiration  at  this  unusual  devotion  that  he  pardoned  Pythias, 
and  asked  that  he  himself  might  share  in  such  a  friendship. 

RHJESUS.—  See  Rhesus. 
RHESUS.  — V.  G.  67. 

The  fall  of  Strymonian  Rhesus  at  the  hands  of  Ulysses  and 
Diomedes  is  related  in  77.  10,  in  close  connection  with  the  violent 
death  of  Dolon.  Rhesus  was  a  king  of  Thrace  who  sided  with 
the  Trojans.  While  he  and  his  men  were  asleep,  Ulysses  and 
Diomedes  murdered  them,  and  carried  away  their  famous  white 
horses. 

The  epithet  Strymonian  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  later 
writers  regarded  Rhesus  as  the  son  of  Strymon,  a  river  of  Thrace. 


106  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

SAO.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  48.    See  Nereids. 
SATURN. 

In  F.  Q.  7.  6.  27  Spenser  says  that  Saturn  was  the  son  of 
Uranus,  thus  following  Hesiod  (Theog.  137),  Saturn  being  the 
Greek  Cronus,  with  whom  he  was  identified  by  the  Romans. 
Then  our  poet  proceeds  to  relate  the  circumstances  by  which 
Saturn  and  his  descendants  won  the  throne  from  Titan,  an  elder 
son  of  Uranus.  For  this  unusual  recital  of  the  affair,  see  Titan. 

Saturn  is  mentioned  as  the  father  of  Jove  in  F.  Q.  7.  6.  2. 
See  Jove. 

In  F.  Q.  3.  11.  43  Saturn  is  called  the  lover  of  Erigone,  for 
whom  he  transformed  himself  into  a  Centaur,  and  in  F.  Q.  7.  7. 
40  he  is  mentioned  as  the  father  of  Chiron  by  Xais.  For  a  dis- 
cussion of  these  passages,  see  Erigone  and  Nais. 

The  reign  of  Saturn,  "  the  golden  age,"  when  peace  and 
plenty  abounded  (F.  Q.  5.  Int.  9 ;  M.  H.  T.  151),  is  explained  by 
Ovid  (Fast.  1.  233  ff.)  and  Macrobius  (Sat.  1.  7  ff.). 

When  Saturn  was  expelled  from  heaven  by  Jove,  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  Latium,  where  he  was  hospitably  received  by  Janus. 
He  taught  the  aborigines  the  uses  of  agriculture,  and  a  reign  of 
universal  prosperity  ensued.  In  Met.  1.  89  ff.,  we  have  a  detailed 
description  of  this  golden  age,  which  Spenser  has  paraphrased  in 
F.  Q.  5.  Int.  9. 

The  planet  of  Saturn  is  mentioned  in  F.  Q.  2.  9.  52 ;  5.  Int. 
8  ;  7.  7.  52.  Its  baneful  influence  over  human  life  is  hinted  at  in 
the  adjectives  "  oblique  "  and  "  grim,"  while  the  adjective  "  old  " 
has  reference  to  the  belief  that  Saturn  was  the  first  of  the  gods. 
It  is  common  to  find  in  ancient  literature  references  to  the  malign 
influence  of  Saturn,  as  for  instance  in  Horace  Carm.  2.  17.  The 
reason  for  this  belief  is  discussed  at  some  length  by  Macrobius 
Com.  19.  20  —  a  subject  that  is  within  the  province  of  astrology 
rather  than  that  of  mythology. 

SCYT.T.A.-Y.  G.  68. 

With  this  compare  Odyssey  12.  73  ff.,  and  JZn.  3.  420  ff., 
whence  it  appears  that  Scylla  was  a  monster  inhabiting  a  certain 
dangerous  rock  between  Italy  and  Sicily.  Her  voice  was  dreadful 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  107 

to  hear,  and  her  form  frightful  to  look  upon.     Surrounded  by  her 
sea-dogs,  she  stood  ready  to  devour  all  ships  that  came  her  way. 

SEA-GODS.— F.  Q.  4.  11.  12. 

Although  the  direct  source  of  this  catalogue  of  names  is  prob- 
ably the  Mythology  of  Xatalis  Comes,  yet  there  arc  ultimate  au- 
thorities in  the  classics  which  justify  the  statement  that  these 
divinities  were  the  offspring  of  Neptune  ;  provided  that  too  strict 
an  interpretation  is  not  put  upon  Neptune,  and  that  the  name  be 
understood  to  stand  for  Pontus  and  Oceanus  also.  When,  how- 
ever, our  poet  says  that  Amphitrite  is  the  mother  of  these  gods, 
he  does  so  on  his  own  authority,  unsupported  by  the  classics.  For 
the  descriptive  words  and  phrases  accompanying  the  names, 
Spenser  is  for  the  most  part  indebted  to  the  ancients. 

Phorcys, 

The  father  of  that  fatall  brood, 

By  whom  those  old  Heroes  wonne  such  fame. 

Son  of  Pontus,  and  father  of  the  Gorgons  (Apoll.  1.  2.  6). 

Glaucus,  "  that  wise  soothsayer  understood."  According  to 
Met.  13.  904  ff.,  he  was  originally  a  mortal.  Having  placed  some 
fishes  on  the  grass,  he  noticed  that  they  ate  of  it,  and  with  re- 
newed life  jumped  again  into  the  water.  Thereupon  Glaucus  him- 
self partook  of  the  grass,  and  in  a  frenzy  leaped  into  the  sea, 
where  he  became  a  god. 

His  remarkable  prophetic  power  is  alluded  to  by  Apollonius 
Rhodius  (1.  1310). 

Falaemon, 

And  tragicke  Inoes  sonne,  the  which  became 
A  God  of  seas  through  his  mad  mothers  blame, 
Now  hight  Palemon,  and.  is  saylers  frend. 

This  is  explained  by  Apoll.  3.  4.  3  and  Met.  4.  416  ff.  The 
jealousy  of  Juno  had  been  excited  against  Ino,  the  wife  of  Atha- 
mas,  and  aunt  of  Bacchus,  and  she  caused  Ino  and  her  husband  to 
become  mad.  The  results  of  their  frenzy  were  most  distressing  ; 
for  Athamas,  after  killing  his  eldest  son,  pursued  Ino,  who  bore 
in  her  arms  the  infant  Melicertes,  to  the  brink  of  the  sea,  where 
the  maddened  Ino  plunged  with  her  child  beneath  the  waves. 


108  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

At  this  point  Neptune  changed  them  to  sea-gods,  altering  the 
name  of  Melicertes  to  Palsemon,  who  was  supposed  to  bring  aid 
to  the  storm-tossed  sailor. 

The  following  table,  also  deduced  from  Apollodorus,  shows 
that  Palsemon  was  a  descendent  of  Neptune :  — 

NEPTUNE 

I 

AGENOB 

I 
CADMUS 

I 
INO 

I 
PALSEMON 

Brontes,  "  great."    He  was  one  of  the  Cyclops,  mentioned  by 
Hesiod  (Theog.  140),  who,  according  to  him,  were  the  sons  of  Ura- 
nus and  Gsea.     They  are,  however,  mentioned  by  other  writers  as 
the  sons  of  Poseidon  (see  Od.  9.  412),. 
Astraeus, 

.     .     .    that  did  shame 
Himselfe  with  incest  of  his  kin  unkend. 

Plut.  De  Fluv.  21.  1  calls  him  a  son  of  Poseidon,  and  men- 
tions the  fact  of  his  incest. 
Orion, 

And  huge  Orion,  that  doth  tempest  still  portend. 

Orion  was,  according  to  Apoll.  1.  4.  3,  the  son  of  Neptune ; 
and  his  great  size  is  also  mentioned  there.  After  his  death  he 
was  placed  in  the  heavens  as  a  constellation,  whose  rising  was 
generally  supposed  to  be  accompanied  by  storms.  Thus,  in  ^En. 
1.  535,  Orion  is  called  stormy.  See  Orion. 

Cteatus,  "  the  rich  Cteatus."  Apoll.  2.  7.  2  names  him  and 
his  brother  Eurytus  as  the  sons  of  Neptune,  and  says  that  they 
surpassed  all  their  contemporaries  in  power  (dw&fiei}.  The 
Greek  word  may  mean  wealth  as  well  as  bodily  strength ;  thus,  in 
the  Latin  translation  of  this  passage  by  Benedictus  ^Egius  Spola- 
tinus,  the  single  Greek  word  is  translated  by  "  viribus  atque  opi- 
bus,"  and  on  similar  grounds  Spenser  uses  the  epithet  "rich." 

Eurytus,  "  long."  See  above.  But  why  he  is  called  long  is 
not  evident. 

Neleus  and  Pelias,  "  lovely  brethren  both."      They  were, 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.          109 

according  to  Apoll.  1.  9.  8,  the  twin  sons  of  Neptune  by  Tyro. 
The  adjective  lovely  seems  to  be  inserted  by  Spenser  without  any 
special  authority  from  the  classics. 

Chrysaor,  "  mightie."  According  to  Apoll.  2.  4.  3,  he  was 
the  son  of  Neptune,  who,  with  Pegasus,  sprang  from  the  blood  of 
Medusa,  and  also  the  father  of  the  monster  Geryon.  Hesiod 
(Theog.  281)  speaks  of  Chrysaor  as  great. 

Caicus,  "strong."  He  is  mentioned  in  Theog.  343  among 
the  rivers  who  were  the  offspring  of  Ocean  and  Tethys.  He  is 
called  strong  because  the  Caicus  drains  a  large  plain  in  Mysia 
(Strab.  13.  1.  68). 

Eurypulus,  "that  calmes  the  waters  wroth."  He  is  men- 
tioned in  Apoll.  2.  7.  1  as  a  son  of  Neptune.  The  particular 
power  ascribed  to  him  seems  to  have  no  parallel  in  the  classics. 

Euphoemus, 

.  .  .  that  upon  them  [the  waters]  goth, 
As,  on  the  ground,  without  dismay  or  dread. 

He  is  mentioned  in  Apoll.  1.  9.  16  as  a  son  of  Neptune. 

The  allusion  to  his  fearlessness  in  walking  upon  the  sea  is 
explained  by  Hyg.  Fab.  14 :  "  Hie  super  aquas  sicco  pede  cucur- 
risse  dicitur." 

Eryx,  "  Fierce  Eryx."  He  is  mentioned  in  Apoll.  2.  5.  10  as 
a  son  of  Neptune  who  ruled  in  a  part  of  Sicily,  and  who  fought 
with  Hercules ;  hence  "  fierce." 

Alebius,  "  that  know'th  the  waters  depth  and  doth  their  bot- 
tome  tread."  Alebius  is  the  Alebiou  of  Apoll.  2.  5.  10.  He  was 
a  son  of  Neptune,  who  attacked  Hercules  as  he  was  passing 
through  Liguria  with  the  oxen  of  Geryon. 

The  description  seems  to  be  fanciful  on  Spenser's  part. 

Asopus,  "  And  sad  Asopus,  comely  with  his  hoarie  head." 
He  was,  according  to  Apoll.  3.  12.  6,  a  son  of  Oceanus  and  the 
father  of  2Egina,  whom  Jupiter  carried  away ;  hence  the  epithet 
sad.  Since  he  was  the  father  of  numerous  sons  and  daughters, 
Spenser  very  appropriately  represents  him  with  a  hoary  head. 

SEMEIiE.—  F.  Q.  3.  11.  33. 

The  tragic  death  of  Semele,  caused  by  beholding  Jove  in  all 
his  glory,  is  related  in  Met.  3.  253  ff.  Juno,  stung  with  jealousy 


110  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

at  Jove's  intrigue  with  Semele,  visited  her  in  the  guise  of  her 
nurse,  and  suggested  to  Semele  that  she  request  Jupiter  to  confirm 
his  godship  by  appearing  to  her  in  all  his  majesty.  Juno  knew 
that  no  mortal  eye  could  behold  such  glory  with  impunity,  but 
the  unsuspecting  Semele  followed  the  advice  given  her.  Jupiter 
swore  to  grant  any  request  she  might  make ;  thus  it  was  too  late 
to  retract  when  Semele  asked  that  she  might  behold  him  in  the 
majesty  with  which  he  was  accustomed  to  appear  to  Juno.  "  The 
mortal  body  of  Semele,"  says  Ovid,  "  could  not  endure  the  ethe- 
real shock,  and  she  was  killed  amid  her  nuptial  presents." 

SEMTRAMIS.  —  F.  Q.  1.  5.  60 ;  2.  10.  56. 

The  account  which  Diodorus  Siculus  gives  of  the  death  of 
Semiramis  does  not  accord  with  that  given  in  the  first  of  these 
passages ;  but  it  is  probable  that  his  story  at  this  point  is  only  an 
abridgment  of  that  of  Ctesias,  whom  he  follows  in  his  narration 
of  Assyrian  history.  Justin  (1.  1),  however,  who  also  is  in- 
debted to  Ctesias  for  his  information,  says  that  Semiramis  was 
killed  by  her  son  on  account  of  her  unlawful  love  for  him.  See 
Ninus. 

SILVANUS.  —  F.  Q.  1.  6.  7 ;  1.  0.  38. 

A  very  striking  passage  is  that  in  which  Silvanus,  a  rustic 
deity,  with  his  fauns  and  satyrs,  his  hamadryads  and  naiads,  are 
represented  as  overcome  with  admiration  at  the  loveliness  of  Una, 
who  had  been  led  into  their  woody  retreat.  Silvanus  is  pictured 
as  an  old  man,  leaning  on  a  cypress  staff,  his  waist  twined  with 
ivy.  It  is  true  that  the  ancients  represent  him  as  advanced  in 
years  (see  Georg.  2.  494),  but  not  as  feeble  :  thus  Ovid  says  he 
was  "  suis  semper  juvenilior  annis  "  (Met.  14.  639).  The  cypress 
staff  was,  no  doubt,  suggested  to  Spenser  by  Georg.  1.  20,  where 
Silvanus  is  said  to  be  carrying  a  young  cypress-tree,  or  by  the 
myth  which  relates  the  love  of  the  god  for  Cyparissus,  to  which 
Spenser  refers  later  on.  See  Cyparissus. 

When  the  Satyrs  come  bringing  Una,  "  that  flowre  of  fayth 
and  beautie  excellent,"  to  Silvanus,  the  beauty  of  his  Dryope 
pales  in  his  estimation,  and  Pholoe  seems  no  longer  fair.  See 
Dryope  and  Pholoe. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY.  Ill 

SISYPHUS.  -F.  Q.  1.  6.  35. 

Among  those  who,  in  the  Lower  World,  were  suffering  the 
penalty  of  crimes  committed  in  this,  was  Sisyphus  :  — 

And  Sisyphus  an  huge  round  stone  did  reele 
Against  an  hill,  ne  might  from  labour  lin. 

This  is  consistent  with  Od.  11.  593;  Met.  4.  460;  10.  44: 
that  is,  Ulysses,  Juno,  and  Orpheus,  when  they  visited  the  Lower 
World,  all  saw  Sisyphus  at  his  futile  task  of  rolling  a  huge  stone 
up  a  hill;  when  the  stone  reached  the  top,  down  it  fell,  and 
the  labor  must  be  renewed.  While  there  is  general  agreement 
among  the  ancients  as  to  the  manner  of  his  punishment,  various 
crimes  are  mentioned  as  the  cause  of  it. 

SPIO.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  48.    See  Nereids. 
STHENOBQEA.  —  F.  Q.  1.  6.  50. 

The  suicide  of  Sthenoboea,  the  wife  of  Proetus,  is  related  by 
Hyginus  (Fa6.  57).  She  fell  in  love  with  Bellerophon;  but  her 
affection  was  repulsed,  and  she  killed  herself  in  despair.  Hygi- 
nus, however,  does  not  mention  the  means  by  which  she  com- 
mitted suicide,  and  other  writers  say  she  took  poison  ;  therefore 
Spenser  is  original  in  saying  she  did  it  by  choking  herself  with  a 
rope. 

STYGIAN See  Styx. 

STYX. 

A  river  of  the  Infernal  Regions,  mentioned  in  jEn.  6,  passim. 
Hence  Spenser  speaks  of  the  bitter  wave  of  hellish  Styx  (F.  Q.  2. 
8.  20)  ;  of  the  black  Stygian  lake  (F.  Q.  1.  5.  10 ;  5.  11.  32) ;  and 
of  the  black  shadow  of  the  Stygian  shore  (V.  G.  48). 

The  references  to  ghosts  wandering  upon  the  banks  of  the 
Styx  (F.  Q.  1.  4.  48;  3.  2.  52  ;  3.  7.  14)  are  to  be  explained  in 
the  light  of  JEn.  6.  325  ff. :  "  All  this  crowd  that  you  behold  is 
forlorn  and  unburied.  .  .  .  And  he  [Charon]  is  not  allowed  to 
convey  them  between  the  dreadful  banks,  and  across  the  roaring 
stream,  before  their  bones  have  been  laid  in  their  place  of  rest. 
A  hundred  years  they  roam,  and  flit  about  these  coasts ;  then  at 
last  they  are  received,  and  visit  again  the  pool  they  long  to  win." 


112  SPENSEB'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

With  F.  Q.  3.  6.  24,  which  refers  to  a  vow  by  the  Stygian 
lake,  «  whose  sad  annoy  The  Gods  doe  dread,"  compare  jEn.  6.  324  : 
"  the  Stygian  lake,  by  whose  divinity  the  gods  dread  to  swear  and 
violate  [their  oath]." 

With  R.  R.  15  compare  Mn.  6.  439  :  "  and  Styx,  nine  times 
rolling  between,  confines  them." 

In  F.  Q.  2.  5.  22,  Spenser  seems  to  have  confused  the  river 
Styx  with  Phlegethon ;  since  it  is  that  river,  and  not  the  Styx, 
which,  according  to  JEn.  6.  550,  rolls  along  torrents  of  flame. 

Since  the  Styx  is  the  most  important  of  the  rivers  of  the 
Lower  World,  Spenser  very  appropriately  speaks  of  the  Lower 
World  itself  as  the  Stygian  realms,  F.  Q.  2.  12.  41  (see  Mer- 
cury) ;  of  the  Stygian  gods,  F.  Q.  3.  6.  46  (see  Adonis)  and 
F.  Q.  4.  3.  32 ;  of  the  Stygian  Prince,  F..  Q.  4.  10.  58  (see  Eury- 
dice)  ;  of  the  Stygian  powers,  V.  G.  55  ;  of  the  Stygian  strands, 
Daph.  20. 

In  F.  Q.  4.  11.  4  the  Styx  is  personified  as  the  Grandame  of 
the  Gods,  with  which  passage  compare  Hyginus  {Fab.  Pref.), 
where  Styx  is  said  to  be  the  offspring  of  Night  and  Erebus,  who 
were  of  the  first  generation  after  Chaos.  See  Erebus. 

For  F.  Q.  1.  1.  37,  a  passage  in  which  the  Styx  and  Cocytus 
are  represented  as  quaking  at  the  name  of  Gorgon,  see  Gorgon. 

SYRINX.  — S.  C.  Apr.  50,  93.    See  Pan. 
SYLVANUS.  — F.  Q.  1.  6.  7 ;  1.  6.  33.    See  Silvanus. 
TALUS.  — F.  Q.  5.  1.  11. 

This  man  of  iron  mold,  who,  with  an  iron  flail,  separated 
truth  from  falsehood,  is  the  same  whom  (pseudo-)  Plato  {Minos 
320  C)  describes  as  the  guardian  of  the  laws  of  Crete,  which  he 
had  written  upon  brazen  tables.  Apollodorus,  however,  assures 
us  thut  he  was  made  of  brass  (1.  9.  26). 

TANTALUS. 

The  description  of  the  punishment  of  Tantalus  in  F.  Q.  2.  7. 
58  ff.  is  a  copy  of  the  similar  passage  in  Od.  11.  582  ff.  Tanta- 
lus is  mentioned  also  among  those  accursed  ones  whom  Juno  and 
Orpheus  saw  in  the  Lower  World  {Met.  4.  458 ;  10.  41).  See 
also  F.  Q.l.  5.  35;  H.  L.  200. 


SPENSER'S    CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  113 

The  reason  for  the  particular  kind  of  punishment  inflicted 
upon  Tantalus  is  hinted  at  in  the  lines :  — 

Lo!  Tantalus,  I  here  tormented  lye: 

Of  whom  high  Jove  wont  whylome  feasted  bee; 

Lo!   here  I  now  for  want  of  food  doe  dye. 

From  an  examination  of  the  ancients,  it  seems  probable  that 
the  second  line  of  this  passage  should  read,  "  Who  of  high  Jove 
wont  whylome  feasted  bee ; "  for  that  Tantalus  was  accustomed 
to  eat  at  the  table  of  the  gods  is  vouched  for  by  the  ancients, 
where  there  is  but  one  occasion  on  record  where  the  gods  feasted 
with  him.  It  is  said  that  Jove  was  accustomed  to  confide  in 
Tantalus  when  he  dined  with  him,  and  that  Tantalus  revealed  the 
secrets  of  the  immortals  to  men,  for  which  he  was  thus  punished 
in  Hades.  See  Hyg.  Fab.  82 ;  83 ;  Met.  6.  173. 

Thitt  Agamemnon  was  of  the  stock  of  Tantalus,  as  stated  in 
V.  G.  69,  is  seen  from  the  following  table  :  — 

TANTALUS 

I 
PELOPS 

I 
ATREDS 

I 
AGAMEMNON 

TARTARUS.  — F.  Q.  1.  7.  44;  2.  12.  6;  V.  G.  66;  68;  M.  H.  T.  1294. 

Compare  ^En.  6.  577  ff.,  where  Tartarus  is  described  as  that 
portion  of  the  Lower  World  devoted  to  the  punishment  of  the 
wicked. 

TELAMON.  — V.  6.  61;  65. 

For  the  parentage  of  Telamon,  see  JEaciis.  For  the  mar- 
riage of  Telamon  with  Ixione,  see  Hesione. 

The  son  of  Telamon  referred  to  in  the  second  passage  is 
Ajax,  for  an  account  of  whose  valor  see  Saddles. 

TETHYS. 

Next  came  the  aged  Ocean  and  his  Dame 
Old  Tethys,  th'  oldest  two  of  all  the  rest; 
For  all  the  rest  of  those  two  parents  came, 
"Which  afterward  both  sea  and  land  possest. 

f.  Q.  4.  11.  18. 

According  to  the  Theogony  of  Hesiod,  Ocean  and  Tethys 
were  ancient  indeed,  for  they  were  the  children  of  Heaven  and 


114  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL   MYTHOLOGY. 

Earth.  From  their  union  sprang  numerous  rivers  and  Ocean- 
ides  ;  so  that  Spenser  is  somewhat  justified  in  the  sweeping  state- 
ment which  he  makes  regarding  the  offspring  of  Ocean  and 
Tethys. 

The  name  Tethys  is  sometimes  used  by  the  ancients  for  the 
sea  itself,  as  in  Met.  2.  69,  with  which  compare  F.  Q.  1.  1.  39  ; 
1.  3.  31;  2.  12.  26;  R.  E.  20. 

THALIA.  — F.  Q.  4.  11.  49.    See  Nereids. 
THALIA.— F.  Q.  6.  10.  22.    See  Graces. 
THAUMANTES.  —  F.  Q.  5.  3.  25.    See  Thaumas. 
THAUMAS.-F.  Q.  6.  8.  25. 

Iris  is  here  referred  to  as  the  daughter  of  Thaumantes.  It 
should  be  Thaumas,  who  was,  according  to  Met.  11.  647,  the 
father  of  Iris. 

THEMIS.  —  F.  Q.  5.  9.  31.    See  Litse. 
THEMISTE.  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  61.    See  Nereids. 
THESEUS. 

For  Theseus  as  husband  of  Ariadne  (F.  Q.  6.  10.  13),  see 
Ariadne;  as  the  father  of  a  cursed  son  (F.  Q.  5.  8.  43),  see  Hip- 
polytus;  as  'feare'  [mate]  of  Pirithous  (F.  Q.  4.  10.  27),  see 
Pirithous. 

Theseus  condemned  to  endless  slouth  by  law. 

F.  Q.  1.  5.  35. 

This  seems  to  be  a  paraphrase  of  JEn.  6.  617  :  "  Unhappy 
Theseus  sits  and  will  sit  there  forever."  Theseus  had  assisted 
Pirithous  in  his  attempt  to  carry  away  Proserpina  from  the  realm 
of  Pluto,  for  which  they  were  both  cast  into  chains  ;  but  it  is 
usually  related  that  the  punishment  of  Theseus  lasted  only  until 
he  was  released  by  Hercules.  See  Diod.  Sic.  4.  63.  4. 

THETIS'. 

As  the  wife  of  Peleus,  Thetis  is  mentioned  in  F.  Q.  6. 10.  22 ; 
F.  Q.  7.  7.  12  ;  V.  G.  62,  for  which  see  Peleus. 

For  not  to  have  been  dipt  in  Lethe  lake, 
Could  save  the  sonne  of  Thetis  from  to  die; 
But  that  blinde  bard  did  him  immortall  make 

With  verses,  dipt  in  deaw  of  Castalie. 

R.  T.  429  ff. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.          115 

Since  Achilles  is  the  central  figure  of  the  Iliad,  our  poet  may 
well  say  that  Homer  made  him  immortal.  The  tradition,  how- 
ever, that  Thetis  dipped  her  son  in  the  Styx  (Spenser  says  Lethe 
lake)  to  make  him  immortal  is,  notwithstanding  E.  K.'s  note  on 

5.  C.  March  97,  of  later  date  than  Homer.     See  Stat.  Achilles 
1.  269 ;  Fulgentius,  De  Peleo  et  Thetide. 

As  one  of  the  Nereids,  Thetis  is  mentioned  in  F.  Q.  4.  11. 
48.  See  Nereids. 

The  name  is  employed  by  metonymy  for  the  sea  in  R.  R.  4, 
just  as  Neptune  and  Tethys  are  used  elsewhere.  For  this  post- 
Augustan  use  of  the  term,  see  Mart.  10.  30. 

THEACIAN(maid).— F.  Q.  3.  11.  35. 

A  comparison  of  this  reference  with  its  evident  source,  Met. 

6.  114,  shows  that  the  Thracian  maid  is  Deois  ;  that  is,  Proser- 
pina,  daughter  of  Deo,  or  Ceres.     The  adjective   Thracian,  as 
applied  to  Proserpina,  is  explained  .from  the  fact  that  Cotys,  or 
Cotytto,  a  divinity  sometimes    identified  with  Proserpina,  was 
worshiped  in  Thrace.     See  Strab.  10.  3.  16. 

TTND ARID  (lass).  —  F.  Q.  4.  11.  19.    See  Helen. 
TISIPHONE.  — V.  G.  43. 

Compare  JEn.  6.  555  ff.,  where  Tisiphone  is  described  as  a 
Fury,  guarding  the  vestibule  of  Tartarus.  She  is  clothed  in  a 
bloody  robe,  and  is  further  described  in  these  words  :  "  Tisi- 
phone, the  avenger,  armed  with  her  whip,  unceasingly  lashes  the 
shuddering  criminals,  and  taunts  them  withal,  and  with  her  left 
hand  brandishing  her  grim  serpents,  summons  her  ruthless  sis- 
terhood." 

TITAN. 

The  story  to  which  reference  is  made  in  F.  Q.  7.  6.  27  is 
told  by  Natalis  Comes,  and  is  not  the  usual  familiar  account  of 
the  way  by  which  Saturn  obtained  the  throne  of  heaven.  (See 
Jove.)  According  to  Natalis  Comes,  Titan  was  the  elder  brother 
of  Saturn,  who  was  persuaded  to  abdicate  the  throne  on  condi- 
tion that  Saturn  would  kill  all  children  who  might  be  born  to 
him.  This  was  in  order  that  Saturn  might  have  no  descendants 
to  succeed  him.  The  compact  was  agreed  upon,  and  Saturn  de- 


116  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

voured  one  child  after  another.  Jove,  however,  escaped  the  fate 
of  his  brothers  and  sisters ;  hence  Spenser's  reference  to  the 
"  Corybantes  slight,"  which  is  explained  under  Cybele. 

This  myth,  it  will  be  seen,  is  better  adapted  to  enforce  the 
claims  of  Mutability  than  the  usual  one  would  be,  and  hence  it 
was  seized  upon  by  our  poet. 

In  the  second  stanza  of  this  same  canto,  reference  is  made 
to  the  familiar  story  of  Jove's  overthrow  of  Saturn  and  his 
brother  Titans  (see  Jove)  ;  and  the  statement  is  made  that  many 
of  the  descendants  of  the  Titans  survived,  among  whom  Hecate 
and  Bellona  are  especially  mentioned.  It  is  very  true  that  the 
name  of  Titan  is  applied  in  the  classics  to  various  divinities  — 
among  them  Themis,  Phoebe,  and  even  Hecate  (see  Serv.  JEn. 
4.  511)  — but  it  would  be  difficult  to  say  on  what  authority  Bel- 
lona is  mentioned  as  a  Titan ;  however,  we  have  found  that  Spen- 
ser is  not  bound  by  the  letter  of  classical  mythology,  and  the 
spirit  of  it  is  certainly  not  violated  here.  But  it  is  Helios,  or 
Phoebus,  the  Sun,  who  in  the  classics  is  most  often  designated 
by  the  name  of  Titan.  Spenser  follows  this  usage,  as  in  S.  C. 
Jul.  59.  E.  K.,  commenting  upon  this  passage,  explains  Titan 
as  the  sun,  and  says :  "  Which  story  is  to  be  redde  in  Diodorus 
Syc.  of  the  hyl  Ida ;  from  whence,  he  sayth,  all  night  time  is  to 
bee  seene  a  mightye  fire,  as  if  the  skye  burned,  which  toward 
morning  beginneth  to  gather  into  a  rownd  forme,  and  thereof 
ryseth  the  sonne,  whome  the  Poetes  [see  Fast.  1.  617]  call  Titan." 

TITHONU8.—  F.  Q.  1.  2.  7 ;  1.  11.  61;  3.  3.  20.    See  Aurora. 
TITYUS.  — F.  Q.  1.  6.  35;  T.  G.  48. 

Both  of  these  passages  refer  to  the  form  of  punishment  in- 
flicted upon  Tityus:  a  vulture  fed  upon  his  liver,  which  was 
never  consumed,  but  constantly  renewed.  The  second  passage 
hints  at  the  crime  of  which  Tityus  was  guilty  :  he  had,  for  some 
reason,  incurred  the  displeasure  of  Latona.  Od.  11.  576  ff.  ex- 
plains the  case  in  full :  "  And  I  saw  Tityos,  son  of  renowned 
Earth,  lying  on  a  leveled  ground,  and  he  covered  nine  roods  as 
he  lay,  and  vultures  twain  beset  him,  one  on  either  side,  and 
gnawed  at  his  liver,  piercing  even  to  the  caul,  but  he  drave  them 
not  away  with  his  hands.  For  he  had  dealt  violently  with  Leto 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.          Ill 

the  famous  bedfellow  of  Zeus,  as  she  went  up  to  Pytho  through 

the  fair  lawns  of  Panopeus."     See  also  ^En.  6.  595 ;  Met.  4.  457 ; 

10.  43. 

TRIPTOLEMUS.  —  V.  6.  26.    See  Ceres. 

TKITON.  — F.  Q.  3.  4.  33;  Co.  Cl.  246. 

Triton  is  a  sea-divinity.  In  the  first  passage  he  appears  as  a 
charioteer,  driving  his  dolphins  over  the  waves;  in  the  second, 
Spenser  calls  him,  like  Proteus,  a  shepherd,  and  speaks  also  of 
his  wreathed  horn. 

Triton  is  mentioned  by  Hesiod  (Theog.  931)  as  one  of  the 
sons  of  Neptune  and  Amphitrite;  Virgil  (Mn.  10.  209  if.)  de- 
scribes him  as  of  hairy  front,  displaying  a  human  form  down  to 
the  waist,  and  terminating  in  a  '  pristis.'  He  mentions,  also,  his 
shell  trumpet,  as  other  writers  usually  do  —  among  them  Ovid, 
who  thus  describes  it  (Met.  1.  333  ff.)  :  "  The  hollow-mouthed 
trumpet  is  taken  up  by  him,  which  grows  to  a  great  width  from 
its  lowest  twist ;  the  trumpet,  which,  soon  as  it  receives  the  air  in 
the  middle  of  the  sea,  fills  with  its  notes  the  shores  lying  under 
either  sun."  In  this  typical  passage,  Triton  appears  as  the  atten- 
dant of  Neptune,  whom  he  usually  accompanied. 

TRITONIAN  (goddess).  -Mui.  265. 

Authorities  differ  as  to  the  origin  of  this  name  by  which 
Minerva  is  often  called  :  some  say  it  is  from  Lake  Tritonis  in 
Libya,  for,  according  to  Herodotus  1.  180,  the  nymph  of  that  lake 
was  believed  by  the  Libyans  to  be  the  mother  of  Minerva  by 
Neptune ;  others  say  the  name  is  derived  from  the  Cretan  word 
meaning  "  head,"  the  reference  being  to  the  birth  of  Minerva 
from  the  head  of  Jove,  as  referred  to  in  Horn.  Hymn  to  Pallas. 
Compare  "  Tritonia  "  in  Met.  2.  783  ;  5.  270 ;  Claudian,  Gigant.  91. 

TRYPHON.  -  F.  Q.  3.  4.  43;   4.  11.  6. 

For  Tryphon  of  sea  gods  the  soveraine  leach  is  hight. 

This  statement  is  original  with  Spenser ;  for  while  the  name 
itself  was  a  common  one,  it  is  nowhere  used  by  the  ancients  to 
designate  a  mythical  surgeon  of  the  divinities  of  the  sea.  Among 
the  Tryphons  of  antiquity,  however,  was  at  least  one  celebrated 


118  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

physician,  a  fact  which  may  have  suggested  the  name  in  the 
connection  in  which  Spenser  uses  it. 

TUKNTJS.  —  V.  B.  9.    See  Latinus. 
TYPHAON.— F.  Q.  6.  6.  11;  7.  6.  16;  7.  6.  29. 

For  Typhaon  as  father  of  Orthrus  by  Echidna  (F.  Q.  5.  10. 
10),  see  Echidna. 

His  blustering  character,  referred  to  in  F.  Q.  6.  6.  11,  is 
mentioned  by  Hesiod,  Theoy.  306  ff. 

F.  Q.  7.  6.  15 ;  29  are  instances  of  the  confusion  of  the 
names  Typhoeus  and  Typhaon,  for  which  see  Typhoeus. 

TYPHOEUS. 

In  F.  Q.  3.  7.  47  we  learn  that  Typhoeus  was  a  son  of  Earth 
and  one  of  the  Titans  —  or  rather  Giants  (see  Jove).  His  belli- 
gerent character,  also,  is  hinted  at.  All  this  is  consistent  with 
Theog.  821  ft'.,  and  Apoll.  1.  6.  3,  where  he  is  described  as  the  son 
of  Tartarus  and  Gsea  —  a  giant  of  most  blustering  aspect,  who 
dared  aspire  even  to  usurp"  the  sway  of  gods  and  men.  Jove, 
however,  met  him  in  single  combat,  felled  him  with  his  thunder- 
bolts, and  heaped  Mt.  vEtna  upon  him. 

It  should  be  noticed  that,  with  Hesiod,  Typhoeus  and  Ty- 
phaon are  perfectly  distinct,  while  with  later  authors  the  names 
are  used  interchangeably.  (See  F.  Q.  7.  6.  15  ;  29.) 

In  F.  Q.  1.  5.  35  Spenser  says  that  Typhoeus  was  in  the 
Lower  World,  stretched  upon  a  gin  (an  engine  of  torture). 
The  nearest  approach  to  this  in  the  classics  is  the  statement 
of  Antoninus  Liberalis  that,  after  Typhoeus  had  been  given  over 
to  Vulcan  under  jEtna,  that  god  placed  his  anvils  upon  his  neck. 

In  V.  B.  15  a  sister  of  Typhoeus  is  mentioned;  but  who  is 
referred  to  is  not  evident. 

ULYSSES. -V.  G.  67;  68. 

That  Ulysses  was  the  son  of  Laertes  is  evident  from  Od.  16. 
118  ff. 

For  his  part  in  the  death  of  Ajax,  see  JEacides  ;  and  for  the 
other  references  to  his  adventures  during  and  after  the  Trojan 
War,  see  the  several  headings. 
URANUS — F.  Q.  7.  6.  27.    See   Titan. 


SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.          119 

VENUS. 

Under  the  names  of  Venus  and  Cytherea,  the  goddess  of  love 
and  beauty  is  a  prominent  figure  in  the  mythology  of  Spenser. 
She  evidently  charmed  our  poet,  as  she  had  all  others,  both  of  gods 
and  men,  from  her  very  birth.  F.  Q.  3.  6.  2  describes  how :  — 

Jove  laught  on  Venus  from  his  soverayne  see, 
And  Phcebus  with  faire  beanies  did  her  adorne, 
And  all  the  Graces  rockt  her  cradle  being  borne. 

This  is  but  a  particularizatioii  of  the  following  lines  from  the 
minor  Homeric  Hymn  to  Venus  :  — 

Graced  at  all  parts,  they  brought  to  heaven  her  graces, 
Whose  first  sight  seen,  all  fell  into  embraces; 
Hugged  her  white  hands,  saluted,  wishing  all 
To  wear  her  maiden  flower  in  festival 
Of  sacred  Hymen,  and  to  lead  her  home. 

The  same  hymn  says  that  she  was  born  of  the  sea-foam,  as 
does  Hesiod  (Theog.  197).  Spenser  (F.  Q.  4.  12.  2)  alludes  to 
this  invention  of  the  "  antique  wisards,"  and  thinks  it  a  wise  one. 

For  that  the  seas  by  her  are  most  augmented, 
Witnesse  th'  exceeding  fry  which  there  are  fed, 
And  wondrous  sholes  which  may  of  none  be  red. 

These  lines  may  have  been  suggested  by  those  from  the  Horn, 
Hymn  to  Venus :  — 

Through  pathless  air  and  boundless  ocean's  space 
She  rules  the  feathered  kind  and  finny  race. 

Both  poets  thus  recognize  the  power  of  love  over  all  animate 
nature,  as  does  Ovid  (Fast.  4.  90  ff.),  and  Lucretius,  when  he  ap- 
propriately invokes  this  goddess  at  the  beginning  of  his  De  Rerum 
Natura.  Spenser  has  translated  this  invocation  (F.  Q.  4. 10.  44), 
where,  in  the  temple  of  Venus,  a  tormented  lover  addresses  the 
goddess.  This  is  but  a  part  of  a  long  passage,  which  describes 
the  temple  of  Venus,  the  aspect  and  dress  of  the  goddess,  and  the 
character  of  her  attendants.  As  a  whole,  this  passage,  while 
marked  by  originality,  shows  a  judicious  assimilation  of  the 
ancients. 

Thus  the  description  of  the  inmost  temple  (4.  10.  o7  ff.)  is 


120  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

evidently  an  amplification  of  JEn.  1.  415  ff. :  "She  herself  in 
mid  air  departs  to  Paphos,  and  glad  of  heart  revisits  her  own 
shrines,  where  is  a  temple  in  her  honour,  and  where  a  hundred 
altars  smoke  with  Sabsean  frankincense,  breathing  with  the  fra- 
grance of  garlands  ever  fresh." 

We  know  from  the  Hero  and  Leander  of  Musseus  that  the 
priests  of  Venus  were  damsels,  for  Hero  herself  was  such  a  one ; 
but  the  linen  garb  which  Spenser  assigns  them  (F.  Q.  4.  10.  38) 
was  probably  suggested  by  that  of  the  priests  of  Isis  (see  Isis), 
between  whom  and  Venus  there  is  a  certain  similarity,  although 
it  does  Tiot  appear  that  they  were  identified  by  the  ancients.  And 
again  in  4.  10.  41,  Spenser  seems  to  have  Isis  in  mind  when  he 
describes  the  image  of  Venus  as  veiled.  It  should  be  noticed  that 
Spenser  makes  a  mistake  in  saying  that  the  statue  with  which  the 
young  man  fell  in  love  was  the  work  of  Phidias :  it  was  executed 
by  Praxiteles  rather  (see  Lucian  Imag.  15  and  16). 

In  4.  10.  42  Venus  is  described  as  accompanied  by  little 
loves,  etc. :  with  which  passage  compare  Horace  Carm.  1.  2 :  — 

Sive  tu  mavis,  Erycina  ridens, 
Quam  Jocus  circum  volat  et  Cupido. 

The  love  of  Scudamour  for  Amoret,  the  priestess  of  Venus, 
his  speech,  etc.,  were  evidently  suggested  by  the  Hero  and  Leander 
of  Musseus. 

Throughout  the  whole  passage  Venus  is  the  goddess  of  love 
and  beauty,  as  also  in  F.  Q.  1.  1.  48 ;  T.  M.  397  ;  Pro.  96 ;  //.  B. 

The  well-known  story  of  the  triumph  of  Venus  in  receiving  the 
apple  from  the  hands  of  Paris  as  a  recognition  of  her  surpassing 
beauty,  and  her  bestowal  upon  Paris  of  the  "  fayrest  dame,"  as  a 
reward  for  his  judgment,  is  referred  to  in  F.  Q.  2.  7.  55 ;  3.  9.  34. 
If  lines  23-30  of  //.  24  are  genuine,  they  furnish  the  earliest  men- 
tion of  the  judgment  of  Paris,  a  myth  which  became  a  favorite 
with  the  ancients.  Hyg-  Fab.  92  furnishes  a  clear  statement  of 
the  judgment  and  its  reward. 

Various  ones  among  gods  and  men  were  honored  with  the 
love  of  Venus.  Among  these  was  Vulcan,  whose  wife  she  became, 
and  whp,  Spenser  says,  made  for  her  the  famous  girdle  (F.  Q.  4. 
5.  3  ff.).  See  Vulcan. 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.  121 

Her  husband's  skill  was  further  exhibited  by  the  snare  which 
he  made  for  betraying  the  love  of  Mars  and  Venus.  This  affair 
is  related  at  some  length  in  Od.  8.  266  ff.,  and  is  referred  to  by 
Spenser  in  F.  Q.  2.  6.  35  ;  3.  11.  44. 

The  affection  of  the  goddess  for  Adonis  is  mentioned  in  F. 
Q.  3.  1.  31 ;  3.  6.  4G,  for  which  see  Adonis. 

But  her  love  was  not  confined  to  immortals  only  :  Anchises, 
a  mortal,  became  by  her  the  father  of  ^Eneas  (F.  Q.  3.  9.  41). 
The  Horn.  Hymn  to  Venus  dwells  upon  their  union  ;  and  the  brood- 
ing care  of  Venus  for  her  son  is  one  of  the  beauties  of  the  .ZEneid. 

It  is  by  the  grace  of  Venus  that  hearts  are  united  in  wedlock. 
Zeus  enjoins  this  office  upon  her  (//.  5.  429),  and  in  V.  G.  Gl  we 
read  that  it  was  through  the  favor  of  this  goddess  that  Peleus  and 
Telamon  were  "  renown'd  in  choyce  of  happie  marriage."  The 
same  idea  is  expressed  in  H.  L.  284  :  "  With  Hercules  and  Hebe, 
and  the  rest  Of  Venus  dearlings,  through  her  bountie  blest." 
See  Hebe. 

There  are  many  references  to  Venus  as  the  mother  of  Cupid, 
the  god  of  love  :  F.  Q.  1.  Int.  3  ;  4.  Int.  5  ;  4.  12.  13  ;  6.  7.  37  ; 
Mui.  98  ;  Co.  Cl.  801  ff. ;  Pro.  90  :  Epigrams  1.  3.  4 ;  H.  L. 
passim.  See  Cupid. 

The  later  poets  extended  the  number  of  loves :  Horace  (Carm. 
4.  1)  addresses  Venus  as  the  mother  of  sweet  loves,  and  Spenser 
expresses  the  same  idea  in  Ep.  364. 

For  the  story  of  the  search  of  Venus  for  Cupid  related  in  F. 
Q.  3.  6.  11  ff.,  see  Cupid. 

For  Venus  as  the  mother  of  the  Graces  (T.  M.  403)  and  as 
attended  by  them  (F.  Q.  6.  10.  9  ;  6.  10.  15  ;  6.  10.  21  ;  Ep.  108), 
see  Graces. 

Spenser  is  true  to  classical  mythology  when,  in  Pro.  63,  he 
speaks  of  the  swans  "  Which  through  the  Skie  draw  Venus  silver 
Teeme."  Horace  (Carm.  4.  1)  mentions  the  "bright  swans"  of 
the  goddess,  and  Ovid  (Met.  10.  708)  pictures  Venus  as  harnessing 
her  swans  and  winging  her  way  through  the  air. 

Although  Venus  is  the  laughter-loving  goddess  (compare  F. 
Q.  1.  6.  16  with  //.  5.  375),  yet  upon  occasion  she  can  give  way 
to  anger  and  jealousy.  The  story  of  her  treatment  of  Psyche  is 
touched  upon  in  F.  Q.  3.  6.  50  ;  Mui.  131,  for  which  see  Psyche. 


122  SPENSER'S  CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

Spenser  further  uses  the  story  as  a  suggestion  for  an  original 
myth,  in  which  Venus  is  represented  as  angry  with  the  nymph 
Asteria,  whom  she  transforms  to  a  butterfly  (MuL  113  if.). 

Various  flowers  were  sacred  to  the  goddess  of  love  —  among 
them  the  rose,  which  Spenser  says  was  white  before  it  was  dyed 
with  the  blood  of  Venus  (Daph.  109),  an  idea  suggested  by 
Bion  Idyl.  1  or  Anili.  Lat.  85 ;  366.  Natalis  Comes,  also,  tells  the 
following  story :  "  Mars  was  in  love  with  Venus,  while  Venus 
cared  only  for  Adonis.  The  god  of  war  thought  that  if  Adonis 
were  not  in  the  way,  he  could  win  the  love  of  Venus  to  himself ; 
accordingly,  he  sent  a  boar  to  kill  Adonis.  Venus,  hastening  to 
bear  help  to  the  beloved  youth,  was  wounded  in  the  foot  with  the 
thorn  of  a  rose,  and  from  that  time  the  rose,  which  had  been 
white,  was  dyed  red  with  her  blood." 

Certain  haunts  of  Venus  are  mentioned  in  F.  Q.  2.  8.  6 ;  3. 
6.  29  ;  4.  5.  6  ;  6.  10.  9  —  among  them  the  Idsean  hill.  This  refers 
to  Mt.  Idalion  in  Cyprus,  on  which  were  "  Idalia's  lofty  groves," 
sacred  to  Venus.  (See  JLn.  1.  681.)  The  "  Cytheron  hill" 
of  the  second  passage  is  a  mistake  :  it  should  be  the  island  of 
Cythera,  where,  according  to  Theog.  192,  Venus  landed  after  her 
birth  from  the  sea,  and  from  which  she  is  called  by  the  ancients 
"Cytherea"  (Hor.  Carm.  1.  4).  With  the  third  passage  com- 
pare jEn.  1.  720,  where  Venus  is  referred  to  as  Cupid's  Acidalian 
mother.  Paphos  is  mentioned  as  one  of  her  haunts  in  ;En.  1. 
415.  At  Cnidus  in  Caria  she  had  several  temples,  and  the  place 
was  a  favorite  with  her  (Hor.  Carm.  1.  30 ;  3.  28). 

The  planet  of  Venus  is  mentioned  in  F.  Q.  7.  7.  51  ;  S.  C. 
Dec.  60.  84;  Daph.  483;  Ast.  56. 

There  are  further  references  to  her  bower  (T.  M.  362)  ;  to 
her  chain  (F.  Q.  1.  2.  4)  ;  to  her  sting  (F.  Q.  2.  12.  39)  ;  to  her 
looking-glass  (F.  Q.  3.  1.  8)  ;  and  to  certain  representations  of  the 
goddess  (Ver.  17  ;  H.  H.  B.  212). 
VESPER.  — F.  Q.  7.  6.  9;  V.  6.  40.    See  Hesperus. 
VESTA.  — P.  Q.  7.  7.  26. 

Spenser  declares  Vesta  to  be  the  goddess  of  ethereal  fire,  in 
distinction  from  Vulcan,  the  god  "of  this  with  us  so  usuall." 
"  Ethereal  "  is  here  used  in  the  sense  of  "  celestial,"  "  spiritual," 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY.          123 

and  the  line,  therefore,  means  that  Vesta  was  the  goddess  of  con- 
secrated, holy  fire,  while  Vulcan  was  the  divinity  of  fire  in  its 
ordinary,  practical  uses  ;  and  this  is  consistent  with  classical 
authority. 

The  origin  of  the  name  Vesta  (Greek  Hestia)  from  co-no, 
a  hearth,  reveals  the  fact  that  she  was  the  divinity  of  the  hearth. 
We  know  from  Ovid  Fast.  6.  305  ff.,  as  well  as  from  other  author- 
ities, that  the  hearth  was  the  center  of  the  life  of  the  home  — 
a  sacred  spot :  "  Before  the  hearths,"  says  Ovid,  "  it  was  the  cus- 
tom formerly  to  sit  together  on  long  benches,  and  to  believe  that 
the  gods  were  there  at  the  board."  In  both  Greece  and  Rome 
the  idea  was  extended,  and  there  were  public  hearths,  or  sanctu- 
aries of  Vesta.  The  Romans  believed  that  the  sacred  flame  of 
Vesta  had  been  brought  from  Troy  (^£n.  2.  296).  It  was  consid- 
ered to  be  the  symbol  of  the  goddess  herself,  and  was  kept  con- 
tinually burning  in  the  temple  of  Vesta.  Ovid  (Fast.  6.  295  ff.) 
says :  "  Long  did  I,  in  my  simplicity,  imagine  that  there  were 
statues  of  Vesta,  but  afterwards  ascertained  that  there  were  none 
under  her  concave  dome.  The  fire  that  has  never  been  extin- 
guished lies  hidden  in  that  temple." 

VULCAN. 

The  Roman  Vulcan  was  identified  with  the  Greek  Hephaes- 
tus :  he  was,  as  Spenser  says,  the  sovereign  of  the  fire  "  with  us 
so  usuall "  (F.  Q.  7.  7.  26),  that  is,  of  fire  as  a  means  in  manu- 
factures. Thus  does  he  appear  in  the  works  of  Homer  as  the 
artificer  of  the  gods.  Iliad  18.  369  ff.  may  be  referred  to  as  a 
typical  passage,  describing,  as  it  does,  the  Olympic  workshop  of 
Vulcan,  with  anvil,  bellows,  etc.  Here  he  made  the  celebrated 
armor  of  Archilles,  also  described,  as  well  as  other  wonderful 
works.  Cf.  JEn.  8.  407  ff.  See  Mui.  63. 

Later  authors,  however,  place  his  workshop  on  earth,  in  vari- 
ous volcanic  regions :  thus,  Spenser  says  in  F.  Q.  4.  5.  4  that  it 
was  on  Lemnos  that  Vulcan  wrought  the  girdle  of  Venus.  This 
is  quite  classical,  since  Homer  (Od.  8.  283)  says  that  island  was 
a  favorite  with  him,  and  others  place  his  workshop  there.  The 
reason  for  this  may  be  found  in  77.  1.  593  :  it  was  on  Lemnos 
that  Vulcan  fell  when  he  was  thrown  from  heaven,  and  the 
people  of  that  island  then  received  him  kindly. 


124  SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 

Since,  according  to  Homer  (77.  14.  214  ff.),  the  cestus  of 
Venus  was  a  piece  of  embroidery,  Spenser  is  not  consistent  with 
the  classics  in  speaking  of  it  as  wrought  with  fire  by  Vulcan. 
That  Vulcan  was  the  husband  of  Venus  appears  from  Od.  8.  266 
ff.  —  the  passage  describing  the  means  by  which  Vulcan  assured 
himself  of  the  unfaithfulness  of  Venus.  It  is  possible  that  the 
net  described  there  may  have  suggested  to  Spenser  the  girdle  of 
Venus  as  the  work  of  Vulcan. 

In  F.  Q.  2.  7.  36  ;  3.  9.  19 ;  V.  G.  66,  Vulcan  is  used  for  fire 
itself,  with  which  compare  Met.  7.  104,  and  many  other  passages. 

ZEPHYBUS.  — F.  Q.  2.  5.  29;  Pro.  2. 

In  these  passages  Spenser  personifies  the  gentle  west  wind, 
after  the  manner  of  the  ancients.  See  Fast.  5.  201  ff. 


INDEX   OF  AUTHORITIES. 

This  Index  is  intended  to  assist  students  in  discovering  Spenser's  indebtedness 
to  individual  authors. 


AESCHYLUS:  Prometheus. 
ANACREON:  Lyaeus. 
ANGELUS  POLITIA 

ANTHOLOGIA    LATINA: 
Fates. 
Lyaeus. 

ANTIMACHUS:  Graces. 

ANTONINUS   LIBERALIS: 
Hylas. 

APOLLODORUS: 
Adonis. 
j-Egina. 
Alcmena. 
Amphion. 
Andromeda. 
Antiope. 
Apollo. 
Argo. 
Argus. 
Asteria. 
Atalanta. 
Bacchus. 
Bellona. 
Cadmus. 
Danae. 

Erichthonian  (tower). 
Erigone. 
Europa. 
Eurytion. 
Pounders  of  Nations. 

APOLLONIUS   RHODIUS: 
Amphion. 
Argonautic  Expe- 
dition. 
Celseno. 


of  Nations. 

APULEIUS:  Psyche. 

eus. 

ARATUS:  Astrsea. 

ARISTJENETUS  :  Acontius. 

US:  Cupid. 

ARISTOPHANES:  Adonis. 

A: 

BION  :  Adonis.    Venus. 

Muses. 

BOCCACCIO:  Graces. 

Venus. 

CALLIMACHUS: 

Ceres.         Hercules.         Jove. 

LIS: 

CATULLUS:  Hymen.    Peleus. 

Typhoeus. 

CENTURY  DICTIONARY: 

Neptune. 

Hebe. 

CHILD:  Phao. 

Helle. 

CICERO:  Fates. 

Hercules. 

CLAUDIAN  : 

Hesione. 

Jove.               Semiramis. 

Hydra. 
Hyperion. 
Iphiniedia. 

Proserpina.    Tritonian  (goddess). 
CTESIAS:  Semiramis. 

Jove. 

DARES:  Amazon. 

Leda. 

DIODORUS  SICULUS: 

Linus. 

.aSolus.                Linus. 

Medusa. 

Arne.                  Mercury. 

Nereids. 

Atlas.                Ninus. 

GEnone. 

Bacchus.           Penthesilea. 

Orion. 

Founders  of      Procrustes. 

Pasiphae. 

Nations.          Pythias. 

Peleus. 

Hercules.           Semiramis. 

Sea-Gods. 

Hydra.                Theseus. 

Talus. 

Hyperion.          Titan. 

Typhoeus. 

Jove. 

EURIPIDES: 

US: 

Alcestis.            Inachus. 

Erigone. 

Apollo.               Msenades. 

Hecate. 

Cassiopea.         Nemesis. 

Juno. 

Cupid.                Orestes. 

Sea-Gods. 

Hippolytus. 

125 

126 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 


FULGENTIUS: 

HOMERIC   HYMNS  —  Continued. 

Prometheus.      Thetis. 

Cybele.                      Muses. 

HERODOTUS  :  Tritonian  (goddess). 

Diana.                      Pan. 

Graces.                      Proserpina. 

HESIOD: 

Amphitrite.              Jove. 

Hebe.                         Tritonian  (god- 
Jove,                           dess). 

Apollo.                       Litse. 

Mars.                        Venus. 

Atalanta.                  Muses. 

Mercury. 

Ate.                          Nereids. 

Cupid.                       Nereus. 

HORACE  : 

Cybele.                     Pandora. 

Apollo.                    Muses. 

Doris.                        Prometheus. 

Atlas.                        Nereus. 

Echidna.                   Saturn. 

Bacchus.                  'Orcus. 

Erebus.                    Sea-Gods. 

Graces.                      Prometheus. 

Fates.                        Tethys. 

Hesperus.                 Saturn. 

Graces.                      Triton. 

Inachus.                   Venus, 

Hebe.                         Typhaon. 

Jove. 

Hecate.                     Typhoeus. 

Hours.                       Venus. 

HYGINUS  : 

Hyperion. 

Adonis.                     Hector. 

jEacides.                   Helle. 

HOLINSHED  :  Founders  of  Nations. 

.^Egina.                      Hesperus. 

HOMER: 

Alcmena.                  Hydra. 

Achilles.                    Juno. 

Andromeda.             Ixion. 

Adonis.                      Litse. 

Apollo.                      Jove. 

j3£acides.                   Mars. 

Ariadne.                   Mars. 

j?Eacus.                      Mercury. 

Astrsea.                     Mercury. 

.^Egide  (shield).        Nepenthe 

Ate.                           Orion. 

.lEolus.                       Neptune. 

Cassiopea.                Orpheus. 

Agamemnon.           Nereids. 

Coronis.              f     Pasiphae. 

Apollo.                      Orcus. 

Dsemogorgon.           Procrustes. 

Ate.                           Orion. 

Demophoon.             Sthenobo3a. 

Atlas.                        Penelope. 

Diana.                       Styx. 

Aurora.                     Pluto. 

Ephialtes.                 Tantalus. 

Bacchus.                   Podalirius. 

Erebus.                     Venus. 

Chimsera.                  Priam. 

Europa. 

Cicones.                     Proserpina. 

Founders  of 

Cimmerians.            Proteus. 

Nations. 

Diana.                       Pylian  (sire). 
Dolon.                       Rhesus. 

JORTIN  :  Dsemogorgon. 

Ephialtes.                 Scylla. 

JUSTIN  :  Semiramis. 

Erinnys.                    Sea-Gods. 
Graces.                      Sisyphus. 

LACTANTIUS  :  Dremogorgon. 

Hebe.                         Tantalus. 

LUCAN  :  Dsemogorgon.    Orion. 

Hesperus.                 Thetis. 

Hours.                       Tityus. 

LUCIAN  : 

Inachus.                   Ulysses. 

Alcmena.                  Juno. 

Iphimedia.               Venus. 

Bellona.                    Mercury. 

Jove.                         Vulcan. 

Ixion.                        Venus. 

HOMERIC    HYMNS: 

LUCRETIUS  : 

Amphitrite.              Aurora. 

Aurora.                     Neptune. 

Apollo.                      Bacchus. 

Jove.                         Venus. 

INDEX  OF  AUTHORITIES  REFERRED   TO.       127 


MACROBIUS  : 

1    OVID—  Continued. 

Juno. 

Ops. 

Morpheus.         Sea-Gods. 

Maia. 

Palici. 

Myrrha.             Semele. 

Mars. 

Saturn. 

Narcissus.          Silvanus. 

MAROT:  Cupid. 

Niobe.                Sisyphus. 

CEnone.              Tantalus. 

MARTIAL  :  Thetis. 

Orion.                 Tethys. 

MOSCHUS:  Cupid. 

Europa. 

Orpheus.            Thaumas. 

MUS^EUS  .                                                            Pales.                 Tliracian  (maid). 
Pan.                   Titan. 
Graces.       Leander.       Venus. 
^        +t  ^iJuJb-*^*1™*-              Tityrus. 
NATALIS  COMES:    LcvOH    V**             '  Phaeton.            Triton. 

Geryon. 

Titan. 

Pholoe.              Tritonian 

Sea-Gods. 

Venus. 

Pirithous.              (goddess). 

ORPHEUS  : 

Podalirius.        Venus. 

Prometheus.     Vesta. 

Alcmena.                                Cupid. 
Argonautic  Expedition.      Jove. 

Saturn.               Vulcan. 

FAMPHUS:  Graces. 

OVID: 

Acontius. 

Cyparissus. 

PA  US  AN  I  AS: 

Adonis. 

Danae. 

Founders  of      Muses. 

^Eacus. 

.Daphne. 

Nations.          Neptune. 

JEgeria. 

Deucalion. 

Graces,               Nereids. 

.angina. 

Diana. 

Hercules.           Pegasus. 

.SColus. 

Erebus. 

PHILOSTRATUS:  Neptune. 

Alcmena. 

Erigone. 

PINDAR: 

Andromeda. 
Antiopa. 

Erinnys. 
Europa. 

Apollo.               Litae. 
Argo.                   Pan. 

-Apollo. 

Hector. 

Arachne. 

Helen. 

PLATO  : 

Argonautic 

Helle. 

Achilles.             Helen. 

Expedition. 

Hercules. 

Adonis.               Muses. 

Argus. 

Hesione. 

Apollo.                Talus. 

Ariadne. 

Hesperus. 

Cupid. 

Arion. 

Hippolytus. 

PLINY:  Adonis. 

Arne. 

Hyacinthus.  </ 

PLUTARCH: 

Asteria. 

Hyperion. 

Isis.          Sea-Gods.          Jove. 

Atalanta. 

Ino. 

Atlas. 
Aurora. 

Iphimedia. 
Iris. 

PROPERTIUS: 
Cupid.            Founders  of  Nations. 

Bacchus. 

Issa. 

QUINTUS  CALABER:  Penthesilea. 

Biblis. 

Itys. 

SCHOLIAST  (Ap.  Rh.):  Erigone. 

Bisaltis. 

Ixion. 

SCHOLIAST  (Statius):  Daemogorgon. 

Cadmus. 

Janus. 

Cerberus. 

Jove. 

SCHOLIAST  (Theoc.):  Pan. 

Ceres. 

Juno. 

SENECA:  Graces.       Hippolytus. 

Chloris. 

Lapith». 

SERVIUS: 

Cimmerian. 

Leda. 

Atlas.                 Nyctelius. 

Clymene. 

Lucina. 

Cupid.                Orion. 

Coronis. 

Mars. 

Cybele.              Penthesilea. 

Cupid. 

Medusa. 

Demophoon.      Titan. 

Cybele. 

Mnemosyne. 

Hercules. 

128 


SPENSER'S   CLASSICAL  MYTHOLOGY. 


SOPHOCLES: 

VIRGIL  —  Continue 

d. 

Cassiopea. 

Nemesis. 

Avernus. 

Lethe. 

SPOLETINUS:  Sea-Gods. 

Bellona. 

Linus. 

STATIUS: 

Boreas. 

Megsera. 

Apollo. 

Muses. 

Brontes. 

Mercury. 

Dasmogorgon. 

Pegasus. 

Camilla. 

Minos. 

Founders  of 

Thetis. 

Celaeno. 

Morpheus. 

Nations. 

Cerberus. 

Muses. 

STRABO  : 

Charon. 

Myrrha. 

Founders  of 
Nations. 
Neptune. 

Sea-Gods. 
Thracian  (maid). 

Chimaera. 
Cocytus. 
Cupid. 
Cyparissus. 

Neptune. 
Orpheus. 
Pan. 
Phlegethon. 

TACITUS:  Flora. 

Diana. 

Pluto. 

THEOCRITUS: 

Dryope. 

Priam. 

Adonis. 

Diana. 

Elysian. 

Proserpina. 

Cupid. 

Pan. 

Erebus. 

Proteus. 

THEODONTIUS 

:  Graces. 

Erinnys. 
Hecate. 

Scylla. 
Sea-Gods. 

TZETZES  : 

Helen. 

Silvanus. 

Deucalion. 

Jove. 

Hercules. 

Styx. 

Founders  of 

CEnone. 

Hippolytus. 

Tartarus. 

Nations. 

Hydra. 

Theseus. 

VIRGIL  : 

Inachus. 

Tisiphone. 

Acheron. 

.ffineas. 

Iris. 

Tityus. 

Achilles. 

Amazon. 

Ixion. 

Triton. 

jEgide  (shield). 

Atlas. 

Juno. 

Venus. 

jEolus. 

Aurora. 

Latinus. 

Vesta. 

OAr 


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